Birthday (Book 1 and a half of The Cetra Heritage Saga)
by Quatermass
Summary: It's not every day that a boy turns eleven years old, and when your name is Harry Potter, this will be probably your first good birthday. With family, friends and comrades from the fight against Sephiroth, as well as seven guests from Magical Britain, it may be an island of calm and joy between the storm that has passed, and the storm yet to come...
1. Foreword and Recap

**FOREWORD**

Soon after I finished my first story in _The Cetra Heritage Saga_ , I began writing this one, being the idiot that I am. Of course, it will have been some time before you read it. Unlike _Harry Potter and the Cetra Heritage_ , this story won't be posted in episodes. Rather, it will have chapters posted once a day (or more frequently if I feel like it). Frankly, after nearly melting my brain finishing the previous story, it's just as well.

For those of you looking for an actual adventure in the world of _Harry Potter_ or of _Final Fantasy VII_ , this, unfortunately, is not for you. It's a nice period of calm (or near-calm) sandwiched between two storms. It's about a young boy getting probably the first decent birthday of his life, meeting new friends, and mentors. We'll see a very different beginning to the relationship between Snape and Harry, one that will bear, hopefully, less bitter fruit than in canon. We will see Dumbledore being held to account for his well-meant but poor decisions regarding Harry. But above all, we will see Harry get a happy birthday. And I am laying further groundwork for Book 2 of _The Cetra Heritage Saga_ , _Harry Gainsborough and the Philosopher's Stone_.

I'm continually amazed at how well my story has been received. I am leaving the following stats blank until the time comes for me to finally publish this foreword, but I am astonished to have gotten nearly 27K views, 127 favourites, 152 follows, and 73 reviews, all in just over a month. Seriously, this stuff's gonna go to my head. Thanks, guys.

For this story, I won't be including a soundtrack with each chapter, instead posting a suggested soundtrack at the end of the story. I've got some interesting themes in mind, including a theme that, long before I even started writing fanfic, I thought was a pretty damn good one for Snape.

Anyway, before I get onto the disclaimers, I'll answer the reviews from _The Cetra Heritage_ that I haven't, as of yet, answered…

 **Blackholelord** : Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. You will have to wait some time before Harry enters Hogwarts. However, this interquel fic will introduce more Potterverse characters into the _Final Fantasy VII_ world.

 **lokarryn** : Thank you. I think people will be pleasantly surprised with the direction I take Luna in.

 **Fayth of Karvose** : I could be evil and say 'Wait and see', but I will put you (and everyone else) out of their misery: while in many ways Luna is like Sephiroth (in that she is a human/Jenova hybrid), in others, she is very different. In fact, she is closer to a more moral (and more loopy) version of the Jenova character as I have written. I've also decided to have her meet Jenova, Aerith, and Harry very early on during the events of _Harry Gainsborough and the Philosopher's Stone_. Harry, Jenova, and Aerith will be staying at the Burrow for the week leading up to the departure of the Hogwarts Express, and Luna comes around for a visit. Hilarity will ensue. I will reveal the details of how Luna came to be, and why, in the story.

 **Guest, aka The Crimson Mage** : Wait and see.

 **shunshu** : Sorry, I don't speak Spanish. However, after translating your review with Google Translate, I have to say, thanks.

 **Kira Akuma** : Well, Sephiroth is a tenacious SOB, as is Hojo. Let's just say that, should I even get that far, Sephiroth will appear even later than his appearance in _Advent Children_. In a major twist that I have in mind.

And last, but certainly not least, the very enthusiastic **Zane Tribal Tyne Alexandros** : I never thought about what Sirius' Limit Breaks are called, as I never wrote any in. I won't rule out the possibility of using one of those names though, as they're quite good names. Grimm Goodbye is an excellent one, and I will credit you in the annotations if I use it, or any of the others.

My version of Scarlet doesn't have implants (she does go to a cosmetic surgeon, for nipping, tucking, and botox), but Jenova does have her measure. And you are right: her ego and sense of power is over-inflated and hollow. And thanks for your opinion on Hojo's demise. I thought having Jenova literally rip him apart was a satisfying, if overly rapid end to the man.

I'm not sure how you got Naruto and Sasuke out of Diamond and Ultima Weapons. I'm not a _Naruto_ fan, though I have read the first few volumes of the manga, and have a few fanfics favourited. Oh, and I like LittleKuriboh's _Naruto_ spoof series, for the most part (the latest episode, sadly, fell into very unfunny territory). My inspirations for their characters were partly the Angels as portrayed in Gregg Landsmann's _Evangelion_ fanfic, _Nobody Dies_ , and, I realised while writing this reply, the Elder Silurian and the Young Silurian from _Doctor Who and the Silurians_.

Holy shit, I wished I thought of that. I like how you got that thing Kuja said about Brahne, and applied it to Scarlet. They may look nothing alike, but their desire for power above everything does make them alike within. The End of the Ugly Desire, indeed.

Harry gets contact lenses by this point in time. The Reunion between Luna and Jenova, as noted above, does take place sooner, though it's more of a reunion than a Reunion. I just put the capitalisation in Luna's last words to be, and I quote Mr Popo from _Dragonball Z Abridged_ , '****ing ominous', as well as to demonstrate what link she has to the _Final Fantasy VII_ universe. And as for Ginny and Yuffie, well, let's just say that they meet in this fic, and I took your comments on board. It doesn't happen like you thought it might, but you might get a kick out of it, and I acknowledged you in the annotations.

Now for your numbered responses in one of your reviews:

1\. Although I had no plans for Golden Saucer or Costa del Sol, having some of Harry's friends come to the Planet during the holidays was always a possibility. A few of the Potterverse characters (besides Harry and Sirius) will make the Planet their permanent home. Lupin, for example.

2\. If he can get enough money from his Black family vault, Sirius may just do that, and bring Kreacher with him. I wonder how Kreacher will do in sunny Costa del Sol? Thanks for the idea.

3\. Well, let's just say that she is coming to Hogwarts, as is Aerith, for at least the first year.

4\. I don't think Rufus will get involved. But the goblins will be interested in what those from the Planet have to offer.

5\. Who goes along with Harry? If it's Aerith or Jenova, they will be coming over. Aerith will learn some of the magic of Earth from Sirius. Jenova knows some spells already from Voldemort's memory.

6\. I had this comment in mind when I wrote a sequence in the fifth chapter, where Harry gets his presents. Note Reeve's present.

Anyway, now for the disclaimers. Firstly, there will be little to no bashing of the Harry Potter characters.

Secondly, there will be annotations up the wazoo. You have been warned.

Finally, the following is a fan-based work. _Final Fantasy VII_ and _Harry Potter_ are the properties of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, I'll set the Jenova's Witnesses on you.

 **Previously on** ** _The Cetra Heritage Saga_** **…**

 _2000 years ago, on a world known as Gaia, otherwise known as the Planet, an alien entity fell from the skies, bringing calamity in its wake. A group of humans with magical ability, known as the Ancients or the Cetra, dubbed this monstrous being Jenova. Some Cetra managed to seal Jenova, while others plead to the Goddess of their world, Minerva, to grant them passage to another world. Minerva granted this boon, with a number of Cetra exiling themselves to a world known as Earth. There, they intermingled and bred with the magical population, boosting their numbers and power. But the Cetra Heritage of the wizards and witches soon passed into myth and legend. And the goddess of Gaia, Minerva, watched, and lamented, as her people began to die out on her world, while on Earth, her people forgot her._

 _However, two millennia after Jenova arrived on Gaia, an evil wizard known as Voldemort was vanquished, seemingly by the infant child of his latest victims. Harry Potter was sent to live with his closest, non-magical relatives by Professor Dumbledore, in a well-meant, but ultimately poor decision. Intending to shield him from his fame and from reprisals from Voldemort's followers, Dumbledore had unwittingly condemned Harry to a life where he was neglected at best, and at worst, abused._

 _It came to a head one cold night, when Harry's uncle beat him in a drunken rage. Harry, in pain and in despair, cried out for deliverance. Minerva granted it, bringing him back to the place where his ancestors once dwelled, and not coincidentally, into the path of one who would help him._

 _Aerith Gainsborough was the last of the Ancients on the Planet. She had joined a ragtag group of rebels against the all-powerful Shinra Electric Company, dubbed AVALANCHE, but left for the ancestral city of her people, partly because she was worried about one of her fellow party members, Cloud Strife. Cloud had been a good friend and more, but she was increasingly disturbed by his resemblance to a long-dead friend, Zack Fair, as well as his susceptibility to being controlled by Sephiroth. Sephiroth was one of Shinra's top warriors, from their elite SOLDIER group, but when he learned about the truth of his origins, as an engineered super-soldier, enhanced with Jenova cells, he went insane, and would eventually formulate a mad plan to become a deity._

 _Aerith, however, had a plan. She would pray for Holy, the Ultimate White Magic, and it would help destroy Sephiroth, and what he planned to summon, Meteor, the Ultimate Black Magic. Coming across Harry, and told of his situation by Minerva, Aerith resolved to take him under her wing. With his help, she summoned Holy, though it was soon blocked by Sephiroth's will. Sephiroth himself tried to murder Aerith, only to be thwarted at the last second by Harry's desperate intervention. During a subsequent fight with a Jenova monster conjured by Sephiroth, Harry was infected by the creature, hosting the last remnants of Jenova's consciousness that refused to bow to Sephiroth's will. Jenova destroyed a fragment of Voldemort's soul hiding within Harry's scar._

 _Harry and Aerith re-joined AVALANCHE, and made their way to the Crater where Sephiroth lurked. Cloud, however, began to become suspicious of Harry, his paranoia stoked partly by Sephiroth's influence, and partly by the revelation that he had thought himself a SOLDIER, but instead had conflated his memories with Zack's. During another confrontation with Sephiroth and another Jenova creature under his control, events came to a head: after defeating the Jenova creature, the Jenova consciousness that had been hiding within Harry emerged, and formed herself a new body from the vanquished creature's remains. Cloud, influenced by Sephiroth, attacked her, and nearly killed Aerith and Harry in the process. When he realised what he had done, he fled to try and revenge himself on Sephiroth._

 _However, Sephiroth was ready. As everyone gathered for a showdown, Sephiroth summoned Meteor, and in the confusion, Cloud and his childhood friend Tifa were left behind. AVALANCHE and its new members, including Jenova, ended up prisoners of Shinra, who were struggling to deal with the events. Thanks to Jenova, Yuffie, and Cait Sith, AVALANCHE escaped, though they were forced to bring along Rufus Shinra, President of Shinra, who was deposed by a traitorous underling, Scarlet._

 _What followed was a series of strange and exciting adventures. Cloud and Tifa were found in Mideel, along with another wizard from Earth: none other than Harry's own godfather and accused mass-murderer, Sirius Black. But their reunion was short-lived, for Ultima Weapon, an extremely powerful beast created by the Planet to destroy Jenova and strengthen the Lifestream, attacked. Harry, Aerith, Cloud, Tifa, Rufus, and Jenova fell into the Lifestream. There, they learned more about each other's memories, including a startling revelation: Jenova was like Minerva once, the governing consciousness of a planet, who had journeyed across the stars to colonise another world when her old one died in disaster._

 _The six unfortunates emerged from the Lifestream perhaps a little wiser, and they resolved, along with AVALANCHE and its allies, to save the world from Sephiroth. However, events led to Aerith, Harry, along with pilot Cid Highwind and technician Shera being captured by Shinra once more. A series of battles ensued as differing factions of Shinra clashed, and two Weapons attacked the city of Midgar. Evil scientist Hojo was the first casualty, despite becoming another Jenova creature, while both Diamond Weapon and Ultima Weapon fell to Harry and Jenova respectively. Scarlet, in a spiteful last-ditch effort, held Harry hostage, but his magic helped him escape her, and Barrett Wallace, whose hometown was wiped out by Scarlet, took her life in revenge._

 _AVALANCHE and their allies in Shinra descended into the Crater where Sephiroth lurked, determined to free Holy. However, Sephiroth was more powerful than they could imagine. But with encouragement from the dead, brought by Minerva from the Lifestream to cheer them on, the group managed to defeat Sephiroth, despite an arduous series of battles and Sephiroth's inhuman tenacity._

 _With Sephiroth finally vanquished, Holy is unleashed, and manages to destroy Meteor before it comes too close to become a problem. It leaves the once-great city of Midgar dangerously unstable, as a warning to humanity against exploiting the Lifestream._

 _Months later, the Planet is recovering. Rufus Shinra and Jenova have teamed up, taking Shinra Inc in a surprisingly more altruistic direction, determined to obtain power by more benign means. AVALANCHE is helping the world recover. And Harry has been adopted by Aerith's mother, Elmyra Gainsborough, and is now looking forward to his first real birthday, and soon, his first year at Hogwarts, for which he will return to Earth for…_


	2. Chapter 1: Dumbledore's Choices

**CHAPTER 1:**

 **DUMBLEDORE'S CHOICES**

Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, and accumulator of a ludicrous amount of titles, was contemplating an important decision. Not as world-shaking as many of the decisions he had to preside over as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, or Supreme Mugwump of the ICW. But it was still important nonetheless.

Namely, who to bring to Harry Potter…no, Harry Gainsborough's eleventh birthday?

He sighed as he looked once more at the Ledger that contained the names of all potential students of Hogwarts. Had he not been paying attention, he might have thought Harry Potter's name had been erased from the ledger, when instead, it had merely changed to Harry Gainsborough. Dumbledore knew the name: it was the surname of that witch (well, Cetra) who had accompanied Harry during his adventures in that other world. So an adoption had happened. Had the blood wards remained at the Dursleys' house at 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, he would have been concerned. But now that the blood wards weren't an issue, he felt gladness in his heart.

Last night, he had been visited, for the first time, by the Goddess he had heard so much about: Minerva. He already knew a Minerva, of course: Minerva McGonagall, his deputy, the Head of Gryffindor House, and Transfiguration Mistress. But this Minerva was very much a deity, magnificent and beautiful and proud, an armoured figure of humbling presence.

She had listed his many mistakes, especially where Harry Potter was concerned. But she also listed his many triumphs, and reassured him that he was still a good man, despite the many mistakes he had made.

" _His eleventh birthday is nigh,_ " she had said, " _and he wishes to come to your school. So it is time that he met more of those whom he should know. Therefore, I will be granting six people of your choice, plus yourself, passage through the Goddess' Gate to my world, to join him for his birthday. Choose wisely, Albus Dumbledore._ "

As an incentive to do well, she did something Dumbledore thought would have been impossible: she brought back the one person who personified his regrets and his failings like no other. His sister, Ariana.

Like Minerva, she had chided him, and then comforted him. He felt so old, seeing her so young. And he hoped that when he saw her again, when he had joined her in the Great Adventure, then he will have made himself more worthy in her eyes.

Minerva had bid him to choose six people, people who could be here on July 31st at a specific time in the morning. The ambient magical field of Hogwarts meant that she could easily take them from there, preferably from the Great Hall. They would be transported to an abandoned church that nonetheless was a locus of her power on the Planet. From there, they would be taken to the venue.

Dumbledore hit upon two names fairly quickly. In fact, he had asked Minerva during their conversation about whether the moon was full on their world (assuming, of course, that they had one). Minerva had reassured him on this score: the full moon wasn't occurring on that day.

Which meant that Remus Lupin was a definite contender. Of course, the full moon was happening tomorrow night(1), so Remus would have to be careful then. Hagrid was another: Dumbledore felt that it was time Hagrid met Harry again, as the half-giant had been so distraught about the Potters dying, and having to leave Harry with the Dursleys.

But who else? Dumbledore decided that he needed a Hogwarts teacher with him. His first choice would be Minerva McGonagall, but she was always so busy, dealing with Muggleborns. Sprout was also frequently busy in the greenhouses of Hogwarts. And while there were many other potentials, Like Kettleburn, Sinistra, and Vector, Dumbledore frankly preferred a House Head, and of a core subject too.

It came down to either Professor Flitwick, or Professor Snape. After some considerable soul-searching, and wondering whether he was doing the right thing, Dumbledore did what many people would consider unthinkable, and chose Snape. The man was so damned biased against Harry, even though he had never met him. Perhaps meeting him and his family would show the true boy, not the son of James Potter, but the son of Lily, or perhaps the brother of Aerith. And Snape didn't like to show it, but he was interested in knowing about what things were going on with Harry, even if he hid it.

Three down, three to go. And it was here that Dumbledore considered his options carefully. Should he send another teacher? Or could he send members of a family he trusted?

The Weasleys, perhaps. But which ones? The 31st was a Wednesday, and Arthur might have trouble getting time off his work to chaperone his charges. But Molly was the one who truly kept the household in line, and if she was absent, the mischievous twins might cause too much havoc. He would use the Floo to talk to Molly today.

But who to bring? Which children? If one included the parent, it meant only two spaces left. One, Dumbledore decided, had to go to Ronald: he was going to be in Harry's year, and it might do well for Harry to make an early connection. But that meant the twins couldn't go: they were joined at the hip (and it may as well have been literally). Percy, perhaps? No, for all his upstanding behaviour, he was somewhat rigid and adhered too much to rules and had little warmth to him. And the other two older Weasley children were understandably busy with careers elsewhere.

Then perhaps the daughter could go? Ginny was known to have an interest in Harry Potter. Perhaps meeting the person behind the stories.

He decided he needed to have them vow on their magic regarding Sirius, though. He'd have to warn them beforehand that they would meet the fugitive.

Dumbledore, satisfied, wrote out a provisional list of seven names in six positions:

 _Rubeus Hagrid_

 _Severus Snape_

 _Remus Lupin_

 _Arthur or Molly Weasley_

 _Ronald Weasley_

 _Ginevra Weasley_

There. Now he had to check with the Weasleys about what could be done…

* * *

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

Sirius Black was hurled through the air, his wand flying away from him, before hitting the wall hard. Thankfully, all it did was drive the wind from him. And funnily enough, he was glad it had happened. It meant that Pup had learned what may very well be the most vital tool in his arsenal: the Disarming Spell.

They were in a training facility in Junon that Shinra provided for its military, particularly the Turks and SOLDIER. Harry had been brought here by the _Highwind_ , along with Sirius. Sirius had wanted to train Harry in using the magic of their world. Aerith accompanied them, and he was glad to see her do so. It didn't hurt for her to learn these spells.

Of course, magic without a focus or medium like a wand or Materia was exhausting. He was grateful that this world had magic power-replenishing drafts called Ethers. Otherwise, he and Harry and Aerith would have exhausted their magical cores a hundred times over by now.

His godson was hurrying to his side, looking concerned. He was still too damn scrawny, thanks to the Dursleys, but he was beginning to look better, even a little athletic. Still had that mop of messy black hair that made him look so much like Prongs, and those green eyes of Lily's.

The young woman hurrying to his side could have been his sister, or at least a relative of Lily's. Brown hair, framing a gentle, beautiful face, and with emerald-like green eyes. She sometimes seemed like Lily reborn, and with a mischievous streak too. Aerith Gainsborough had been the first person to come across Harry in this world, and for that, Sirius was forever grateful to the young woman. She picked up his wand, little more than a simulacrum, as his own wand was back on Earth, either snapped or kept in storage in the DMLE.

Sirius had managed to recover from his imprisonment in Azkaban. His once pale skin had begun to tan, his lank, long hair was now neatly cut. He had shaved his beard, leaving only a moustache. Habitually, he wore an all-black suit.

Panting, Sirius got to his feet and nodded. "Good, you've got the hang of it. Keep in mind that most wizards don't bother with wandless magic, partly because it is so exhausting. Disarm a wizard of their wand, and they usually don't know what to do. They hold Muggle fighting abilities in contempt, but once you get rid of their wand, you can show them why they shouldn't." Noticing Aerith's pointed look, he hastily added, "Only if necessary."

"Yes, Padfoot," Harry said, calling Sirius by his Marauder nickname.

"What brought this all about, Sirius?" Aerith asked. "You were…moping before."

"Moping?" Sirius scoffed. "Blokes like me don't mope. We _brood_. And I…" Sirius sighed. "Remember when we fought Sephiroth? Minerva brought back all those people to cheer us on?"

Aerith nodded. "There was one I didn't recognise, but you did. You called him Regulus. Was he your brother? He did look a bit like you."

Sirius nodded in acknowledgement. "Got it in one, Aerith. Regulus…I didn't like to think about. He was one of the members of my family to overtly join the Death Eaters. My cousin Bellatrix was another, joining up along with her husband, Rodolphus Lestrange. Another cousin, Narcissa, married one, but I don't think she ever joined the Death Eaters proper. Anyway, Regulus was the golden boy of the family because he followed the family line, see? Remember what I told you about that blood purity rubbish? That's what my family believed. Me, I thought that was what it was, rubbish." He wanted to use stronger words, but refrained from doing so in front of Harry.

"So why did he appear?"

Sirius frowned. "Well, Cid took me to the City of the Ancients last night, like you suggested, and I saw Regulus there. He told me that he became disillusioned with Voldemort. Too little, too late for him, as once you're in the Death Eaters, well, they don't accept resignations. Voldemort used our family's house elf, Kreacher, to help him hide a horcrux, one made from a locket. Upon learning about the horcrux, Regulus, who was getting cold feet, decided to make an effort to stop Voldemort. With Kreacher's help, he found the horcrux, and sacrificed his life to help Kreacher get away, telling the house elf to try and destroy the locket." Sirius chuckled bitterly. "I hated that damned house elf. And yet…he was so devoted to Regulus. I guess I should thank Kreacher when I get home…if I can clear my name, anyway. In any case, I may need to go home to get that horcrux. My old home's full of curses and jinxes on any unwanted guests, anyone else might be in danger."

"So he became good in the end?" Harry asked.

"I guess so."

* * *

They were having dinner here at Shinra HQ in Junon, and staying the night. Joining them for dinner were three other veterans of the Meteor Crisis: Rufus Shinra, Jenova, and Reeve Tuesti.

Aerith reflected on how these three enemies (well, calling Reeve an enemy was a bit harsh) had become their allies and friends. Rufus, while he still remained cold, distant, and aloof, was now showing by his actions that, at the very least, he was trying to repair the damage Shinra had done to the Planet. Reeve was one of Rufus' most trusted allies, and had even gained AVALANCHE's trust: even after Scarlet took over, Reeve showed his true mettle by disabling most of Shinra's air-force and orchestrating, virtually single-handedly (he did have help from his robot, Cait Sith), a heist of the Huge Materia that had been growing in the Junon Mako Reactor.

And Jenova? It had been the immersion in the Lifestream that had triggered the shift. Before, when she first took on a human-like form at the Crater, she was arrogant, boastful, and didn't bother to conceal her malevolence. But after confronting memories she had long forgotten, a profound change had come over the entity from another world. Superficially, she acted the same. But a more protective side to the vicious entity had emerged, one that ensured that she killed Hojo and Ultima Weapon, as well as helping them all to victory against her 'son', Sephiroth.

They had dinner, a luxurious one, rather quietly. Eventually, Reeve asked, "How are arrangements for the birthday party turning out?"

"Good," Aerith said. "Tifa's wishing that we could use her old bar, Seventh Heaven, though. She's already preparing to have one built in that new town you're planning at the edge of Midgar. What were you calling it again? Edge? Creative, isn't it?"

"Well, you miss the point of it, Aerith," Reeve said. "Being on the edge of Midgar is a reminder how close we came to the edge of destruction. Besides Meteor, we very nearly suffered the judgement of Holy. It will also make a good starting point for any workers working in the ruins. We do intend to salvage what we can of the materials that made up Midgar and its buildings. It would be a waste to do so. But back to Harry's birthday. How are the invitations?"

"Well, I know you guys and the Turks have accepted. So's Cloud and Tifa. Nanaki and Yuffie are going to try and get here, but Cid wants to deal with things in Rocket Town. Barrett's also busy with his resource expeditions. Vincent hasn't said anything definite, but I think he'll be there. Marlene and Mother will be there too. We're holding it in the hills near Kalm, as a picnic. I also got a dream message from Minerva. Some people from Harry's world may be coming too. We are to meet them at the old church in Midgar at 8 AM on the 31st. It's the nearest place to Kalm that she can open the Goddess' Gate. Cloud and Tifa made sure the route to and from the church is safe."

"More wizards and witches," Rufus chuckled. "As long as we don't have any belligerent ones, I think we can cope."

* * *

Back on Earth, Severus Snape sneezed loudly. Immediately, he decided he might need some Pepper-Up Potion. He couldn't afford to get a cold…

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, here it is, the first chapter of** ** _Birthday_** **. Now, I know you're going to be up in arms about Snape coming to the Planet, but I am laying the groundwork here for Snape's relationship with Harry to be less antagonistic than it is in canon. And Dumbledore's logic here is sound enough.**

 **Anyway, it's the beginning of more Harry Potter characters in the** ** _Final Fantasy VII_** **universe.**

 **1\. I mentioned in the last chapter of** ** _Harry Potter and the Cetra Heritage_** **that the full moon in July 1991 fell on the 26** **th** **. This chapter is set during the 25** **th** **.**


	3. Chapter 2: Through the Gate

**CHAPTER 2:**

 **THROUGH THE GATE**

Severus Snape had strongly considered not getting the boy anything, as a calculated, spiteful snub. Only a forceful reminder from Albus had him doing so, albeit with bad grace.

It was easy to consider what gift to get Potter, once he had been pressured into doing so. When it came to presents, Snape was a practical, pragmatic man. And he decided then and there that if Potter was going to be anything like his mother, then he needed some sort of start in Potions. Therefore, Snape bought a copy of Arsenius Jigger's _Magical Drafts and Potions_ , the standard Potions text for First Years. He hoped that he hadn't just wasted the Galleons he had spent on it.

He looked at those gathered in the Great Hall. He bit back a snarl at seeing the werewolf here, Lupin looking like ten pounds of shit in a five pound bag. He felt no anger, and far less contempt towards Hagrid. For all the half-giant's Gryffindor bias and his lack of good sense, he was friendly enough. The Weasleys, he kept his distance from, and Molly Weasley favoured him with a glare.

The two Weasley children looked excited, and why wouldn't they be? They were going to meet the Boy Who Bloody Lived. Judging by the look on the girl's face, she was one of those ones who were fixated on dreams of marriage to Potter. Dumbledore inviting her was probably a mistake.

Dumbledore swept in, and smiled that damned smile of his, with the twinkling eyes. "Are we all ready?"

 _No_ , Snape thought mutinously to himself. The others made various noises of assent.

"Good. Then it's nearly time. We are to stand together, and wait for the Goddess to take us to Gaia. We shouldn't have long."

"I can hardly…" Snape began to drawl, only to feel a strange sensation. Green scintillating light seemed to fill his vision, and…

* * *

…he was somewhere else. "…wait," he finished, rather lamely, blinking. He felt a sudden, sharp pain in his arm, where the Dark Mark was. However, he didn't want to check it in front of everyone else.

They were standing in the midst of a small garden of flowers, growing in exposed soil beneath the ruined floor of a decrepit church. And yet, despite the decrepitude of the surroundings, Snape actually felt a strange peace come over him. It certainly helped when he saw who was there: Sirius Black.

Black wasn't the only one present, though he was the only one he recognised. There was a young man with a fit physique, spiky blonde hair, a massive sword on his back, and blue eyes that seemed to have a slight glow to them. Next to him, dressed in a black, sleeveless coat and shorts, was a woman about the same age, with a rather prodigious bust, long black hair, and dark, warm eyes in a heart-shaped face.

The five others present seemed to be in the same group. A blonde-haired young man in a white suit reminded him of what Draco Malfoy would probably be like when he reached his twenties, while next to him was a similarly attired woman with a thin, cruelly beautiful face, deathly white skin, and silvery blonde hair. A quartet of people in blue suits seemed to be their bodyguards. One was a red-haired man with goggles on his forehead and a slouch. The second was a darker-skinned bald man with sunglasses. The third was a solemn, serious-looking man with long black hair and a dot in the middle of his forehead. The last was a blonde-haired young woman.

"Moony," Sirius said, pleasantly, before his gaze turned to Snape. "Severus," he said, curtly. But it was better than Snivellous.

"Black," Snape acknowledged reluctantly.

"Sirius," the young, dark-haired woman asked, "would you please introduce us?"

"Ah, yes. That is Remus Lupin, my old friend, and comrade-in-arms in the Marauders. That fellow is Severus Snape, whom I'm afraid is not a friend. The old man is Professor Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts. That large fellow is Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. And this fine woman is none other than Molly Weasley, and I presume she has brought her children with her." Sirius then turned his attention to the new arrivals. "Now, I'll introduce these people. That is Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockheart," he said, indicating the blonde with the spiky hair and the dark-haired woman. "Those two are Rufus Shinra, President of the Shinra Corporation, and Jenova, formerly the Calamity from the Skies, now Special Consultant to the President. That quartet next to them are members of the Turks: Reno, Rude, Tseng, and Elena."

"And where is Harry?" Dumbledore asked. "And Miss Gainsborough, for that matter?"

"At the venue already," Sirius said with a smile. "We're having a day-long picnic on a hill near Kalm. It's an hour's flight."

"Flight?" Molly asked, her eyes wide with horror. "On a Muggle contraption?"

"Hey, don't knock it, yeah?" the Turk identified as Reno drawled. "I heard you guys have to stay hidden, but here, any human can use magic. As long as they have Materia."

Materia? Snape frowned. Interesting. So Muggles here could use magic, as long as they had whatever this Materia was?

"In any case, a helicopter is the safest way in and out of these ruins at the moment," Sirius explained. "You have to be careful not to fly too close to the upper plate at times, but it's not too bad."

 _Oh, marvellous_ , Snape thought to himself. It looked like it was going to be a wonderful day…

* * *

Harry was sitting with Yuffie, some way away from where the picnic was being set up. Aerith, Vincent, and Reeve were doing that, while the two Cait Sith robots and Nanaki were playing with Marlene, Elmyra looking on. They were in the verdant hills near Kalm, a beautiful landscape, and in the distance, they could see the ruins of Midgar, and the beginning of the construction of that new city, Edge.

"It's so weird, isn't it?" Harry asked. "I mean, before I learned about magic existing back home, I would never have thought about things like this."

"I know. When I was your age, I was more intent on stopping Shinra." Yuffie smiled. The young _kunoichi_ had a soft spot for Harry. Everyone in AVALANCHE pretty much did, but Yuffie, like Aerith, viewed Harry as a little brother she had never had. "And yet, here I am, Yuffie Kisaragi, the hero of the world."

"And probably the only person to get away with vomiting on Rufus Shinra's shoes," Harry said with a smile.

Yuffie grimaced. "You guys are never gonna let me live that down, are you?"

"Come on, it was funny," Harry said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, but motion sickness ain't fun," Yuffie said. "Of course, looking back on it…" She chuckled. "And what's more, I got more Materia for Wutai. Not that we're expecting Rufus to launch an attack or anything. But…you know, it'll be better to be able to defend ourselves now. In case something like Sephiroth comes back."

"Or Sephiroth himself does," Harry said quietly.

Yuffie scoffed. "Harry, don't even joke about crap like that." But she was halted by the expression on his face, a haunted one. An expression that sent a chill down her spine.

"When he pulled my soul into the Lifestream," Harry said, "and I defeated him, his last words were that he would not remain a memory. This is a guy who managed to survive being thrown into the Lifestream in Nibelheim after fighting Cloud. We fought him so many times before we finally killed him." The boy shuddered. "I feel it. One day, he'll be back."

"Have you told anyone else?" Yuffie asked.

"A few," Harry admitted. "Aerith and Jenova…Cloud…I even talked to Minerva about it when I spoke to her last. Minerva seems to agree with me: Sephiroth's consciousness still exists within the Lifestream. Damaged, degraded, and fragmented, but it still exists. It's only his sheer force of will, his experience of existing within the Lifestream, and the Jenova cells that make up his body, that allowed him to survive. He's impotent now, but Minerva fears that she may have to bring Genesis back to life. From what Minerva told me, his body sleeps deep within Midgar, but his soul has joined her in the Lifestream."

"Who's Genesis?" Yuffie asked.

"Another product of the Jenova Project, but imperfect compared to Sephiroth. He went mad for a time, but Minerva exorcised his madness. So Minerva told me. Rufus knew him a bit better. Apparently Genesis had this obsession with _Loveless_."

"That old play?" Yuffie chuckled.

"Hey, don't knock it. Bugenhagen gave me a copy before he died." Harry's face fell, remembering the cheerful old man, remaining so cheerful, even as he lay dying in bed at Cosmo Canyon. Harry had seen death before, and violent death, but there was something else about seeing an old man die before his eyes. Nanaki, Bugenhagen's adopted grandson, had howled at the moon for hours afterwards.

Nanaki chose that moment to saunter over, the sentient, scarred mountain lion-like creature sitting next to Harry. "I am sure he would be glad to know that you treasure it, Harry," he said in his deep, gentle voice.

"I do. It's like poetry, mixed with Shakespeare. That's a writer who did plays back on Earth," Harry explained. He remembered having to watch a video of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ in English class, and had actually gotten a taste for reading the plays, or at least bits of them. One of the few things he missed about Earth. Maybe he should visit a bookstore once back there. "It's weird that it doesn't have an ending, though."

"From what little I know of _Loveless_ , the final scenes have been missing for some time. Most productions either work from the writer's surviving original notes, or else make up their own ending." Nanaki looked across at the ruined city of Midgar. "I have heard of Genesis and his obsession with the play. Hojo called it drivel while talking to someone near me."

The three of them snorted derisively simultaneously. The late, and very unlamented Professor Hojo was certainly no expert on anything cultural, and even his expertise in scientific matters was dubious, especially where ethics and morality were concerned. He perished in single combat with Jenova, proving to be no match for the being who had once been little more than a lab specimen for him.

So many died that day alone. Harry himself had been forced to kill Diamond Weapon, who was intent on destroying Midgar, even as he wept for the loss he was about to cause. Jenova had killed Hojo, and Ultima Weapon. Rufus Shinra had killed Heidegger, the bullying idiot in charge of Shinra's military. And Barrett had killed Scarlet, the woman who had spearheaded the massacre of Barrett's hometown, Corel. Harry still had nightmares of that moment. Sometimes, he saw Scarlet, despite the gaping wounds in her body, lurch towards them, unstoppable, unkillable.

Suddenly, Nanaki cried out, "The helicopter, I can see it! The guests must've arrived!"

The mountain lion-like creature's eyesight (well, in the one eye that worked, the other perpetually closed over with a scar) was better than Harry's. Even with the contact lenses he now wore habitually, he couldn't see the helicopter until it was closer. But he cheered when he did.

The large helicopter, usually used for cargo, came in to land a little way away, to prevent the gusts from the rotors from blowing anything loose at the picnic site away. He could see Reno and Rude in the cockpit together. The red-haired Turk gave Harry a cheerful wave.

As the rotors began to slow, the door on the side of the chopper slid open. A number of people began to step out, some with confidence, others, rather shaky on their feet. The ones who were shaky were ones he didn't recognise, but he knew that they were the guests from another world.

He guessed that the older man who looked basically like a pantomime Merlin was Dumbledore. Who else could it be? And that large man with the wild hair and beard had to be Hagrid. Harry remembered the tales of his godfather, as well as the shades of his parents, of the giant man.

There was a tired-looking man with scars and frequently repaired shabby robes speaking to Sirius. Looking at them with an expression of barely-concealed contempt was a man in dark robes, with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and dark eyes. A red-haired woman, accompanying a boy and a girl with the same colour hair, completed the ensemble. Cloud and the others were helping them out, save for Tifa, Elena, and Tseng, who headed to the picnic area with boxes.

Harry ran forward. Over the sound of the rotors slowing down, the old man cried out, "Harry! It is so good to see you alive and well!"

"It's good to be alive and well," Harry responded. "Are you Professor Dumbledore?"

"Indeed." The old man indicated the giant. "This is Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

"Harry!" Hagrid boomed, tears forming in his eyes. "I'm glad ter see you safe and sound!"

"And this is Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master, and Head of Slytherin House."

The man indicated was the sour-faced one with the black hair. For a moment, Harry wasn't sure what to do. Sirius, and his parents' shades, had told him a lot about Snape. But Lily had also told him that, deep within, there was possibly still the boy who had been her friend. So Harry said, politely, "Hello, sir. I look forward to learning from you." He held out a hand.

Snape looked down at the hand, as if expecting it to turn into a spider. Reluctantly, he shook Harry's hand. "I hope for your sake, Mr Potter, that you will apply yourself to learning as well as your mother did, and not like your father."

"I shall try, sir," Harry said. "And it is Gainsborough now, sir, if you'll forgive my saying so."

Snape considered Harry for a moment longer, with the scrutiny becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Then, he walked away. The tired, shabby-looking man sighed. "That…went better than I thought."

"Hey, if Sniv…I mean Snape tried anything, I would've hexed him into next week," Sirius said. Turning to Harry, he said, "Pup, this is Remus Lupin, or Moony, as his _nom de guerre_ was back in the Marauders."

"Fred and George worship you," the red-haired boy said, looking a little queasy from the helicopter ride. He then turned to Harry. "Anyway, I'm Ron Weasley. Nice to meet you! You're Harry Potter?"

"Yes…but I'm Harry Gainsborough now. I was adopted some time ago," Harry said.

"And you have the…?" Ron indicated his forehead.

Sighing resignedly, Harry brushed back part of his hair to reveal the now-faded scar. Ron and Dumbledore leaned forward to peer at it. Eventually, Dumbledore took out his wand. "Harry, I want to check the matter I…mentioned in our correspondence. May I?"

Harry nodded, knowing Dumbledore meant the horcrux. Dumbledore made a gesture with the wand, muttered something, and then, a brief glow surrounded Harry. Dumbledore beamed. "Oh, excellent, most excellent! Wonderful!"

"What?" Ron asked. "What is it?"

"I'm afraid, Mr Weasley, that I cannot tell you the exact details. However, the scar contained a foul and dark magic that Harry told me had been removed. I wanted to make absolutely sure that it no longer existed."

"Actually, speaking of which, I need to tell you about something similar, Dumbledore. In private," Sirius said.

Dumbledore nodded, before indicating the other two redheads. "Ronald Weasley has already introduced himself. This fine woman is his mother, Molly Weasley, and the girl is Molly's only daughter, Ginny."

"Eep," Ginny squeaked, her face turning red when she realised Harry's attention was on her.

"Don't worry," Harry said, laughing. "I don't bite."

"No, but _I_ will," purred Jenova, an impish grin on her features.

"Excuse me," Molly said, "but don't frighten my daughter like that!"

"It's all in good fun," Jenova said. "Besides which, I've eaten things that'll frighten you."

"Like what?"

"Have you ever heard of Professor Hojo?"

"Who?"

"Exactly," Jenova said, licking her lips.

"Jenova, please?" Harry pleaded. "I don't want you frightening my guests."

"Well, you're no fun," Jenova pouted, before going to the picnic site.

Molly Weasley's mouth worked up and down like a ventriloquist puppet's mouth, before she finally said, "What is _wrong_ with that woman?"

"Well, she's an alien monster who became a good guy, of sorts," Sirius said with a shrug. "I think the list is pretty long…"

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Well, Dumbledore, Snape, and the others are now on the Planet. Note how Snape's Dark Mark has been affected. This is significant, and will be explained later. I also decided that having Snape try to act like he liked Harry was out of character, hence the stiff and awkward greetings. That being said, as Harry is trying to show him respect from the beginning, and outside a classroom, the seed for a different Harry/Snape relationship is sown. It will still be fairly cold and distant, but Snape is beginning to have doubts of his own hatred of Harry.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	4. Chapter 3: Of Bonds Old and New

**CHAPTER 3:**

 **OF BONDS OLD AND NEW**

"…and then I caught it in mid-air! Sirius said I had the reflexes of a Seeker! Of course, the moment was spoiled, because Scarlet decided to drop in in the Proud-Clad."

"Proud-Clad?" Ron asked, blinking in puzzlement.

"Oh, it's like a big suit of armour with lots of weapons," Harry explained. A discussion about Quidditch had led to Harry mentioning his catching the Knights of the Round Summon Materia. His face fell. "It can be piloted like a car or an aeroplane they use back home. The woman piloting it was really nasty, though. Scarlet, her name was. Sirius said she was like a Muggle version of Bellatrix Lestrange, only more sane. Do you know that name?"

"I've heard of her," Ron said with a shudder. "She was You-Know-Who's most loyal woman. Crazy and vicious. Dunno that much about her, but what I've heard is bad enough."

Ginny's eyes were wide, her expression rapt with attention. Here she was, hearing part of an adventure Harry took part in! "So, what happened to her?"

"Oh, long story, Ginny," Harry said. And Ginny realised that he looked very unhappy. "I…I dunno whether I want to say anything about that. I saw a lot of death that day. Maybe one day, I'll tell you."

"You hear that, Ginny?" Ron said, nudging her. "You'll hear about one of Harry's real adventures, not one of those books."

Harry blinked. "Wait… _what_ books?"

* * *

She looked so much like Lily. Not the hair, obviously, but the eyes, and the gentle beauty. Severus Snape found himself staring at Aerith Gainsborough. It was almost like seeing a ghost.

The young woman had become Harry's older sister by adoption, and both were apparently the adopted children of Elmyra Gainsborough. Snape had expected Harry to be coddled by the relatives he had been left with, despite Petunia Dursley's dislike of magic. He was grimly satisfied to learn that Potter's spawn had no such treatment. But here, he was loved enough, it seemed. The boy, he had to admit, was respectful. Guarded and wary, and Snape could tell that there had been a flicker of recognition in the boy's eyes at the sound of Snape's name. No doubt Black's work. But Snape couldn't fault the boy for what he said. And he seemed genuine.

Aerith came over to sit down next to him, surprisingly. "You don't seem to be enjoying yourself, Professor. I would've thought coming to a new world would have been exciting for almost anyone."

"It doesn't feel much different to the old one," Snape said. "And I did not come here for the sake of James Potter's son."

"…But you came for _Lily's_ son, didn't you?"

The simple statement came like a thunderclap to Snape. As he stared at Aerith, wondering how she could know, she said, quietly, "We see them both, you know. On this world, those with the Cetra Heritage can, in certain places, speak to those who returned to the Planet. The dead, as you would call them. Minerva, the Goddess who brought you here, also brought the shades of Harry's parents. We spoke to them of their lives. Harry learned much. He knows that you were once friends with Lily, and what happened to break that friendship. A single word, spoken in anger and humiliation, irrevocably shattering what had once been an unbreakable bond." As Snape gaped at Aerith, she said, "She does wish she could have forgiven you, before you joined the Death Eaters. That's what she told me, to tell you, should we ever meet."

Snape's lips curled in a sneer. "Lies," he hissed. "Black told you, didn't he?"

"Black merely corroborated what we were told," Aerith said calmly. "Professor, the only reason you were able to come to this world was that Minerva found you worthy. The Cetra Heritage is strong within you. Harry knows about you, but he still wants to give you a chance to teach him what he needs to know. He is not his father, nor is he his mother. He is…Harry."

"The saviour of this world, if what Dumbledore said is to be believed," Snape said with a sneer.

"He wasn't the only one, though he did give the final blows to Sephiroth. All of us here, save for my mother and Marlene, contributed to the battle to save the world. But Harry…without him, I may not be here to talk to you. Not long after we first met, Sephiroth tried to kill me. Only Harry spotted him in time, and pushed me away with his magic in sheer desperation. Perhaps without that simple act, we may never have stopped Sephiroth, or freed Holy in time. I don't know. All I know is, we have saved each other's lives many times over, and together, with our friends and allies, we saved the Planet."

"Is he famous?"

"To a degree, we all are now. But we manage to live a quiet life. He hates his fame, even as the Boy Who Lived, especially knowing that it was his mother who did the actual work that led to Voldemort's demise."

Snape winced at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. It was hard not to. In the last months of the man's reign, he had placed a Taboo curse on his name, sending Death Eaters to anyone who spoke it with impunity. Even before then, his name was already feared.

Still, it was pleasing to know that _some_ people knew of Lily's role in what happened that fateful night.

Eventually, he said, "He has his mother's eyes. I'm surprised he isn't wearing glasses, like Potter."

"He used to, but after all we went through, we decided contact lenses would be better."

Snape gave a thin smile. "Just as well. You remind me of her, you know."

"Lily?"

Snape nodded. "You look very much like you could have been her sister. Not Petunia, obviously."

"I should hope not!" Aerith said, the offence in her tone only very slightly mocking.

Ah, so she _did_ know something of Petunia.

Aerith, noticing something in his eyes, said, "Back when this whole mess with Sephiroth was happening, we fell into the Lifestream. That's a layer of pure life-energy that runs throughout the Planet. Myself, Harry, Jenova, Rufus, Cloud and Tifa, we all saw each other's pasts. Especially the worst bits. Harry, the Dursleys treated like a live-in slave, in a cupboard underneath the stairs. I had been told about it by Minerva, but to experience it was another matter. Sirius said once that Harry was basically treated as a house-elf, if that means anything to you."

Snape couldn't believe it. Harry Potter, the Golden Boy, treated as a house-elf by Petunia? She hated magic, yes, but to go that far? What Dumbledore had told him seemed to be somewhat sanitised.

Aerith then said, "To my shame, he also experienced my childhood."

"Your childhood?" Snape asked.

"Until I was seven years old, I'd spent virtually all my life in a cage. Shinra, then owned by Rufus' father, was trying to use my birth mother and myself, the last known Cetra alive, to find the Promised Land, so that they could exploit it. The Promised Land is a mythical place, supposedly lush with Mako Energy that they could use. They also wanted to exploit our natural gift for magic. The man in charge was a vile man by the name of Professor Hojo, the man who murdered my father, and subjected my real mother to a slow death of the soul through his experiments. I think he even raped her on more than one occasion, just so he could have another specimen to experiment with."

"What happened to this Hojo?" Snape asked.

"Jenova happened to him. He had used even his own body in experiments, infecting himself with cells taken from Jenova, and turning himself into a monster. I didn't see how Jenova killed him, and I guess I should be grateful for that."

"Well, actually," Jenova said, sauntering over, "I ripped him apart, bathed in his blood, and ate his soul. I have to say, I wouldn't recommend it as a dining experience."

Snape, for the second time in a short period, boggled, struck dumb. Aerith, however, had a look of disgust on her face. "Jenova…"

"I thought you, of all people, would be pleased to know that his death was painful and somewhat slow." The alien entity shrugged. "I actually decided on an experiment of my own. I persuaded Rufus to erect headstone markers with the names of the Shinra executives who died near Junon. Let's just say that we don't need to worry about watering the grass in that area. Especially near Hojo's headstone. I saw Cloud and Vincent there more than once."

Aerith grimaced. "Too much information, Jenova."

The alien entity laughed. "Being a being who absorbs memory and information, Aerith, I can honestly tell you that there's no such thing."

* * *

"So what you're telling me," Harry said, staring in disbelief, "is that some guys have gone around, writing adventure books about me?"

Ginny quailed under what could very well be the start of an outburst. "Harry, leave it off! It's not her fault!" Ron said.

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I know. Look, Ginny, do you want to know the truth?" The girl nodded. "Until I was ten, I lived in a cupboard underneath the stairs." As both Weasley children gaped, Harry continued, "I was forced to work like a servant. Sirius said it was like the life of a house-elf."

"You what?" Ron demanded. "Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, treated like a house-elf?!"

"I'm not lying!" Harry said. "Look, I was left there by Dumbledore. He meant well. He didn't want me to be affected by the fame of being the Boy Who Lived. Plus, there was something else more important at the time. I don't know whether I can tell you..."

"Indeed," the old man said, coming over. "But it's a moot point now, Harry. I'll tell the Weasleys. Harry's mother placed a blood ward on the home of his aunt. Harry's presence there would recharge these wards. They provided an excellent defence against Voldemort…sorry," he added, when Ginny and Ron gasped in fright, "and his followers. Unfortunately, they required periodic recharging, and if Harry renounced it as his home…"

"Which I did some months ago," Harry said, "when I first came here. The blood wards are now gone."

"To my eternal shame, I left Harry in such a situation because I wanted him to be safe," Dumbledore said. "But…now, he lives with a loving family. Already, I can tell that the Gainsboroughs are good people. And Harry has proven his strength of character by facing up to a being who I believe dwarfs Voldemort's power."

"And his ambitions," Harry said. "Voldemort wanted immortality and dominion over Earth. But Sephiroth wanted to become a god by destroying the world."

Ron stared at him, before saying, "I dunno what's more unbelievable: that this Sephiroth guy was worse than You-Know-Who, or that you can say You-Know-Who's name."

"Well, is that even his real name? I mean, 'Voldemort'. Is that made up?"

"I believe it is," Dumbledore said. "I don't think many wizards know that Voldemort is an alias, or his real name. In fact, I believe it sounds like French. 'Flight from death'. _Vol de mort_.(1) Though there are a number of names in our world that sound made-up. You only have to look at the authors in your Hogwarts letter, which, incidentally, I brought with me today to give to you in person, Harry." He took it from his robes and handed it to the boy.

Harry, gratefully, took it. "Thank you, sir."

"I also have a small present for you, one that Miss Gainsborough said I should give to you later with the other presents. It may not be much, but I believe it is something you may like. And perhaps before long, you may understand the reason behind it," Dumbledore said, before leaving.

Eventually, Harry said, "Anyway, long story short, Minerva brought me here during a pretty bad time. I met Aerith. And that was the start of my first, and frankly, I hope my only adventure…"

* * *

"Look at him," Remus said quietly as he sat with his old friend, watching Harry and the Weasley children. "He looks so much like James, but with Lily's eyes. Even Severus is not that sure what to make of it, especially without those glasses."

"Sniv…Snape never was," Sirius retorted quietly.

For a moment, the two former friends sat in silence. Remus had tried to talk on the way over, but Sirius had waved him to silence. And Remus, while hurt, understood why. For all this time, they had suspected each other to be the mole within the Order of the Phoenix. The werewolf and the hound had circled each other warily, not realising that they should have been watching a certain rat. They only talked when disembarking about the Kalm area.

Eventually, they said, almost simultaneously, "I'm sorry."

An even more awkward pause followed. It was Sirius who broke it. "He fooled us both, didn't he?"

"Peter?"

"The rat, yes," Sirius said. "And look where it got us: Prongs is dead, I ended up in Azkaban without a trial, and you were left out in the cold."

"Even more so after that Umbridge woman passed all those laws."

"Who?"

"Oh, you don't know her. Be grateful. Imagine a toad in a pink dress and a girly voice. Really nasty towards werewolves, magical creatures, and anyone who is a half-breed in her not so humble opinion. A few people in the know call her the Umbitch."

"Is she one of Fudge's lackeys?"

"She's THE lackey, unfortunately. The Undersecretary to the Minister. Poisonous toad of a woman, she is."

"Eh, you should've met Scarlet. She was Rufus' lackey, until she decided to take over. I saw her before she died. Nice looker, though Cait Sith, one of those cat toys over there, scratched her face up something fierce. But she was a bloody lunatic. Nearly murdered Harry. Only a very lucky Apparition on Harry's part saved him, and she got shot by a guy called Barrett. He isn't here today. She destroyed his hometown. He's a bit like me: angry and impulsive, but he'll do anything to protect those he loves. Unfortunately, that sort of thing got me into Azkaban."

Remus nodded. "Yes. Dumbledore told me you switched Secret Keepers, as a bluff. It didn't help your case, telling everyone that you were the Secret Keeper. No wonder we all thought…"

"…That I followed in my family's footsteps?" Sirius finished Lupin's sentence. He looked over to where Harry and the Weasley children were sitting once more. "You're not the one I blame for that. I do blame Dumbledore, true, given that he could have had my case re-examined. But I guess he had too much on his plate, and I may actually forgive him one day. No, it's Crouch and Pettigrew I blame more than any other person. Pettigrew is obvious, but it was Barty Crouch Senior who had me thrown into Azkaban without a trial. He even gave a trial to his own son, even if it was only to show how much contempt he had for him."

"He did attack the Longbottoms, from what I heard, along with the Lestranges."

"Yeah. Bella boasted about it to me from her cell, you know. How they used the Cruciatus curse on the Longbottoms until they were driven insane. Sickening. And Barty Crouch Junior…he just gave up and died after a year or so. I'm glad that self-righteous bastard of a father of his never became Minister."

"Maybe. But Fudge's administration is still chipping away at the rights of werewolves, even those who don't want to emulate Greyback," Remus said bitterly. "Even Dumbledore can't do much. For all his titles, he doesn't have much power. Or maybe he's too afraid to use it."

The comment did strike a chord in Sirius. He turned to look at Dumbledore, who was engaged in an animated discussion with Nanaki, with suspicious eyes. Back home, there was a creature, the Boggart, a shapeshifter that turned into a simulacrum of one's greatest fear. Sirius had no idea what Dumbledore would see a Boggart turn into, but he would put money on an image of Dumbledore himself as a Dark Lord worse than even Voldemort, a villain worse than Sephiroth…

 **CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **The Weasley children bond with Harry, Snape and Aerith have a heart-to-heart, and Sirius and Remus reconcile. Oh, and Sirius has just gotten suspicious about Dumbledore's true character, and in a potentially good way.**

 **Next chapter, Dumbledore, Snape, Sirius, Aerith, and Jenova discuss horcruxes.**

 **1\. Notice how Dumbledore doesn't mention Voldemort's birth name. His reasoning is, to a degree, quite sound: if it was widely publicised that Voldemort was in fact Tom Marvolo Riddle, a half-blood, well, more than a few Death Eaters who got off will be gunning for whoever said that. I don't doubt that few Death Eaters know his real name, and even fewer know his blood status (Barty Crouch Junior's comments in** ** _The Goblet of Fire_** **suggest that he knows, but he doesn't care).**


	5. Chapter 4: The Horcruxes

**CHAPTER 4:**

 **THE HORCRUXES**

As the children played, five of those present moved away from the picnic area. Although Dumbledore had intended to speak to Sirius and Snape in private, Sirius brought Aerith and Jenova along. Dumbledore erected a privacy spell around the quintet. "Sirius, I'm not sure we should be discussing this in front of…"

"If it's about the horcrux, they know already. Both were aware of the one that was in Harry's scar, and if what Aerith told me was true, Harry already told you that Jenova herself removed the horcrux."

Snape, whose knowledge of the Dark Arts was comprehensive, still only knew a little about horcruxes. But he knew enough to stare in astonishment at the alien woman. " _You_ removed the horcrux?"

"I _ate_ the horcrux," Jenova corrected. "At the time, the cells containing the last independent part of my consciousness had infected Harry. In a way, he temporarily became host to two horcruxes: Voldemort's, and my own, although my soul, while a fragment of my original self, had been split away by my treacherous son. In any case, my consciousness is designed to be split, it's how I am."

"You know how horcruxes are made?" Dumbledore asked, concerned.

"Some of it. When I consumed Voldemort's soul, I gained…small amounts of his memories. Not much, for it wasn't much of his soul. But I know parts of the ritual. It involves a murder in cold-blood, as a means to fracture the soul. I even know of a couple of the horcruxes he made."

"Horcruxes? Plural?" Dumbledore breathed. "He made several?" There was a rock nearby that he sat down on, before he muttered, "Now it makes sense."

"Sorry?" Aerith asked. "What do you mean?"

"I…suspected that Harry's scar contained a horcrux for some time. I knew there was a dark magic within it, and it had Voldemort's signature to it, but as I researched what it could be, I felt dread. What few sources I had about horcruxes suggested that there were very few means of destroying the soul fragment. They're almost invariably in inanimate objects, and the methods laid out would invariably have killed Harry. Fiendfyre, basilisk venom, the Killing Curse…the only method that may have been safe for Harry, would never happen."

"Why is that?" Sirius demanded.

"Because Voldemort would have to feel remorse," Jenova explained. "And that is one thing he definitely cannot feel, judging by his memories. The remorse would reunite the soul fragments in his body, but the process could kill him. And he created horcruxes to make sure he was immortal. And here I was thinking _I_ was afraid of death."

"The point is, I wondered how Voldemort could have created a horcrux in Harry, or rather, why. Had he made horcruxes beforehand? It was possible, but I couldn't be sure. It is a very obscure art. Only someone versed in the Dark Arts, or an experience cursebreaker, would have any knowledge of it. And to my knowledge, most who create them generally only make one, perhaps two. But now I know. His prior horcruxes weakened his soul. He had probably intended to create one with Harry's death, but Lily's protection scuppered that. His soul, weakened by both his prior horcruxes and the ritual he had undergone, shattered, and part of him embedded in Harry. Do you know how many he created, Miss Jenova?" Dumbledore asked.

"Just Jenova. And…I'm not sure. He was fixated on the number 7, it being some powerful number in…Arithmancy, isn't it? I do know he made more than the ones I know for sure."

Sirius looked at Jenova. "Was one of them a locket?"

Jenova shook her head. "A ring, and a cup, they're all I know for sure. The ring used to belong to his mother's family, the Gaunts, or something like that. The cup was owned by someone called…Hufflepuff?"

"Not the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff!" Dumbledore exclaimed.

"A relic of the Founders?" Snape muttered.

"So she's the same one this House at Hogwarts is named for?" Jenova asked, having learned about Hogwarts while listening to Sirius and Harry speak before.

"Indeed. The Four Founders were said to have artifacts that were passed down through the generations," Dumbledore explained, having regained his composure. "I know for a fact that Voldemort would never have been able to sully the Sword of Gryffindor with a horcrux, partly because he never managed to access it to my knowledge, and partly because it is goblin silver. It would have been madness to even attempt to do so."

"Forgive me for saying so, Dumbledore, but it would be madness to create a horcrux in the first place," Aerith pointed out.

"Indeed," Snape concurred dryly. "A ring, and the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff. And you said something about a locket, Black. Well?"

Sirius nodded, and launched into his story about Regulus, Kreacher and the locket. Apparently the real one lay within 12 Grimmauld Place, while a copy lay within the original hiding place, a cave infested with Inferi.

"What are Inferi?" Aerith asked. Sirius hadn't actually explained this bit as well.

"Muggles would call them zombies, which is an apt synonym," Dumbledore said. "Corpses reanimated by a powerful wizard to do their bidding, using vile and foul magic. Voldemort may very well have created them himself, or managed to exploit another evil wizard's Inferi."

"I think it was the former," Snape said. "At one point, the Dark Lord transported a large number of Inferi he had created himself to an undisclosed location. And that sounds very much like a potion that the Dark Lord consulted with me on. He never told me why. But he wanted the person to suffer both physical pain, as well as feel their worst memories, as if a Dementor was tormenting them. He also wanted them to become extremely thirsty. I never understood why. Perhaps it was to lure drinkers to the lake with the Inferi. I thought it was one of my finest works, from a potions developer's viewpoint.(1)"

"I'd bet," Sirius said darkly. It was Snape's potion that had led to Regulus' death, after all.

"Even so, it says a lot about Voldemort that he continually underestimates those who he considers to be inferiors, like house-elves," Dumbledore said.

"Dumbledore, he thinks that _everyone_ is his inferior," Jenova snorted. "Take it from someone who's eaten part of his memories."

"Speaking of which, you did remove all traces of Voldemort from Harry, didn't you?" Dumbledore asked.

"I left a couple of things that might be useful. Nothing big. A couple of useful spells in his memory, and…well, are you going to tell him about that time with the Midgar Zolom?" Jenova asked Aerith.

"What's that?" Dumbledore asked.

Aerith winced, before she said, "About a month ago, we decided to take Harry out on a trip to a Chocobo Ranch southeast of here." Noticing their looks, she said, "A chocobo is a sort of large, flightless bird that you can ride, like a horse(2). Anyway, he lost control of the chocobo thanks to Jenova deciding to choose a skittish one as a joke. Unfortunately, said chocobo ran into a nearby marshland, where a gigantic snake called the Midgar Zolom resides. By the time we caught up with him, he and the Midgar Zolom were hissing at each other. We got him out of there before the Midgar Zolom began to attack in earnest, but Harry told us that he could speak to it, and he understood it, even though it was saying ' _You look like a nice snack_ '."

Snape and Dumbledore exchanged shocked looks, while Sirius stared at Aerith. "When were you going to tell me?"

"You weren't in a mood to talk, remember? We invited you along, but you just brooded and stayed behind. We decided not to tell you."

Sirius scowled, mostly at Jenova, for endangering his godson. Eventually, calming himself, he said, "So, that means Harry is a Parselmouth, thanks to Voldemort?"

"Yes," Jenova said.

"It may be best for him to keep that to himself," Snape said quietly. "The Dark Lord was only the latest in a long line of dark wizards who were Parselmouths."

"The ability itself is benign," Dumbledore said. "But unfortunately, people's attitudes to snakes in both the Muggle world and our world are rather negative. If Harry were to reveal it…opinion in the Wizarding World is a fickle thing, as Sirius himself can attest. A hero can become a villain in the eyes of the public all too swiftly."

 _Or the other way around_ , Jenova reflected. It had taken some serious propaganda from Rufus to not only sway public opinion of Shinra around, but to heal the rift between Shinra and AVALANCHE. Even now, Barrett worked with Shinra only with gritted teeth. Publicly, the Sector 7 plate had been attributed to President Shinra and Heidegger instead of AVALANCHE meddling with things that they didn't understand, which was the truth, but the Turks' role in the destruction had been downplayed. Barrett had been given a public pardon, as had Cloud and Tifa, the other surviving core members of Barrett's first AVALANCHE team. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie never had their reputations publicly reclaimed, though, something that Jenova knew rankled with Barrett.

The public story was that the original AVALANCHE, the one controlled by the malevolent Fuhito, had created the second AVALANCHE as a back-up, to wreak havoc on Shinra. That was rubbish, of course, but it was something the public would believe. Barrett's version of AVALANCHE were made out to be dupes, tricked into pursuing a destructive vendetta, though their actions did, in the propaganda, bring the dangers of Mako Reactors to Shinra's attention. Rufus' role in funding and feeding information to Fuhito's AVALANCHE was swept under the carpet. In the end, both AVALANCHE and Shinra (or at least Rufus, Reeve, and the Turks), came out heroes in the story, for stopping Meteor and defeating Sephiroth.

"So, we know of three horcruxes, and a fourth has been destroyed," Sirius muttered. "Jenova, do those memories say where the two you know of are?"

"Dimly. The ring is in what remains of the Gaunt family home in some place called…Little Hangleton. The cup, he gave to…oh, this is amusing." She chuckled darkly. "Your darling cousin, Sirius. Bellatrix Lestrange was given it for safe-keeping. Voldemort didn't know where."

"But where would she keep it?" Aerith asked.

"Gringotts'," Snape, Dumbledore, and Sirius said almost simultaneously.

"The wizarding bank," Sirius explained to a puzzled Aerith. "It's one of the more likely places, anyway. Run by goblins. You don't want to piss them off."

"There's goblins on a distant island on this world," Aerith murmured. "The ones on your world must be more intelligent if they run a bank well, though. Does Harry have any money at this bank?"

"A trust fund for his Hogwarts tuition and living expenses," Dumbledore said, "and a family vault that he won't have access to until he reaches his majority at seventeen. I have the key to the former in safe-keeping. Much of the original Potter fortune was spent to keep the Order of the Phoenix solvent during the battle with Voldemort, but Harry still has more than enough to live comfortably, especially with prudent investment(3). I did take some monies out to pay the Dursleys, but it seemed that they squandered the money I gave them on themselves and their son. I intend to have Hagrid escort you and Harry to Diagon Alley to get money out for his first year. In fact, I believe Hagrid wants to buy Harry's present then, as he wants to get a pet for Harry. An owl, in all likelihood."

"For delivering mail, isn't that right?" Aerith asked. "Sirius told me."

"Yes. Perhaps Minerva might be able to allow said owl to travel through the Goddess' Gate. Actually, the Roman deity Minerva on Earth, and her predecessor Athena, was associated with owls."

"Fascinating as this is to listen to," Snape lied blatantly, "we need make a plan to find the horcruxes. We know the locations of two, and a possible location for a third. And we don't know what we're up against in terms of defences."

"With the locket, I know more than any of you," Sirius said. "12 Grimmauld Place has curses and dark magic tied into the blood of the family. I'd have to come back to Earth discreetly to, at the very least, allow you full passage into the house, and persuade Kreacher to help. In any case, now that I'm free, maybe I might be able to send pensieve memories to the head of the DMLE. Who's in charge nowadays?"

"Amelia Bones is the head of the DMLE," Dumbledore said.

"Good. She was one of the most honest people in the Department," Sirius said. "If I'm very lucky, then it might be possible to get an actual trial. I'll willingly go and testify under Veritaserum. Actually, what happened when I disappeared from Azkaban? What was the news like?"

"At first, Fudge began sending as many Aurors as Amelia could spare to search for you. But after talking with Croaker about the Goddess' Gate, and getting your letter, Croaker and I concocted a cover story, that the traces of magic left behind indicated that you left Britain. In fact, I believe the _Daily Prophet_ occasionally publishes spurious sightings of you in the Caribbean."

"Well, I have been meaning to go to Costa del Sol to get a tan."

"And to ogle at the women," Aerith added wryly. "Did I tell you about that time I saw Professor Hojo there, surrounded by women in bikinis?"

Sirius winced. He had never actually met Hojo in person, though he had seen photos later. The hunched-over man reminded him of Snape, only (and Sirius was astonished that anyone could compare unfavourably to Snape, other than Voldemort, of course) less charismatic and attractive. Snape wasn't going to be winning any beauty prizes, especially with that greasy hair, but Sirius supposed that he could attract someone who was into potions. But Hojo, on a beach, surrounded with beautiful women? "…Please tell me he wasn't in trunks."

"He was still in his labcoat, believe it or not. Not sure how he could get a tan that way."

Jenova nodded. "Ah, yes, those three. I know them from his memories. Hojo hired them on a whim after Costa del Sol to help him with private research. Turned out all of them were recently-graduated university students. One was a neurobiologist, another was a cytogeneticist, and the last one had a degree in medical ethics. Two of them still work for Shinra, while the one with the medical ethics degree, well, Hojo infected her with Jenova cells and stuck her in a tank filled with Mako in Nibelheim's Shinra Mansion.(4)"

"What happened to her then?" Aerith asked.

"She was effectively another Sephiroth copy, she was probably at the Crater. And we know what happened there."

Eventually, Dumbledore said, "We will continue this another time. This is a day for happiness and celebration, not for dark talk on matters like horcruxes and morally dubious science."

 _Indeed_ , Snape thought snidely. _Just paying homage to the Brat Who Lived_ …

 **CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Dumbledore, Snape, Sirius, Aerith and Jenova pool resources on how to deal with the horcruxes, and possibly to clear Sirius' name. I made up that little anecdote with the Midgar Zolom to demonstrate Harry's Parseltongue abilities. I'd imagine, given how vicious it is, that the Midgar Zolom wouldn't be interested in any conversation.**

 **Jenova knowing of the location of a couple of the horcruxes is a concept shared with my other** ** _Harry Potter_** **crossover story,** ** _Lux in Tenebris Lucet_** **. In that story, Alma knows the location of a couple of the horcruxes as well, thanks to her interrogating the fractured memories of the horcrux within Harry. In that story, Alma knows of the Gaunt Ring, and the Ravenclaw Diadem instead of the Hufflepuff Cup.**

 **I also put that stuff in about Shinra's propaganda, because it didn't quite make sense for the organisation that had opposed Shinra to effectively work for the company, at least from the point of view of the public. I decided that Rufus decided to spin it in the best light possible for himself, and for the Sephiroth-hunting iteration of AVALANCHE. Barrett's not happy, understandably, but it's better than being executed. The two men are on rather shaky terms, understandably. But Rufus intending to employ many of the Corel miners in other projects has helped a little.**

 **1\. On the Harry Potter Wiki, the creator of the potion the locket was immersed in is listed as 'possibly Voldemort', but I thought that, given Snape's Potions expertise, Voldemort may very well have consulted with Snape. Snape was probably not told why: he probably thought he was making something to torture one of Voldemort's enemies.**

 **2\. I'm sure horses still exist on Gaia. In fact, isn't one monster, the Eligor in the Train Graveyard, half-chariot and half-horse? Chocobos probably have some advantage compared to horses (even normal chocobos can go across swampland very easily, for example), so who knows?**

 **3\. I took some inspiration here from Arsinoe de Blassenville's excellent fanfic** ** _The Best Revenge_** **, where it is revealed that Harry has little money, save for the Gringott's vault he accesses for school. Dumbledore confesses to Snape that James Potter helped fund the Order of the Phoenix, and that was where the fortune went, as the Potters wanted to fund the fight against Voldemort. Here, Harry's finances haven't been quite as depleted. The Potter family's fortune has been diminished, but not completely depleted.**

 **4\. This rather dark anecdote grew out of a facetious and darkly humorous comment I made for a screenshot of this scene while playing** ** _Final Fantasy VII_** **on Steam. And by this scene, I mean Hojo on the Costa del Sol beach, surrounded by bikini-clad women. I expanded on the women's fates this time, and I reckon that the medical ethics graduate probably did end up a Sephiroth copy, and you know what happened to those.** **:(**


	6. Chapter 5: Happy Birthday to You!

**CHAPTER 5:**

 **HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!**

Birthday celebrations in the Dursley household were solely held for Dudley. Each birthday, Harry got perhaps a pathetic token gift, and a reminder he should be grateful for the pittance he was given.

 _Today feels like a birthday should be_ , Harry thought as all the people gathered. He thought about his friends and family. He saw Cloud and Tifa next to each other. Cloud was setting up a courier service, apparently. Harry and Cloud's friendship had vastly improved since the rocky beginning. If Aerith was a big sister (along with Tifa and Yuffie), then Cloud was a big brother. With a big sword. In fact, the only bone of contention between them now (and it was only in jest) was that Harry was the one to finish off Sephiroth.

Tifa was nice too. And it was nice to see her with Cloud. They looked very happy together, and Tifa didn't look quite as sad in the eyes as she did when Harry first met her. It was something he only realised recently.

Yuffie was, by comparison, somewhat more cheerful. Not that Tifa wasn't cheerful, she was, but Yuffie was filled to the brim with vim and vigour. He remembered the snowball fight he had with her on the way to Icicle Inn all those months ago. He grinned at Ginny's reaction when he discussed Yuffie, that she was not just a ninja (Ginny and Ron DID need the concept of a ninja explained to them, though), but also the daughter of the ruler of Wutai, Lord Godo. Yuffie had found herself accosted by a red-headed girl demanding to know what life as a princess was like, much to the amusement of everyone else(1). That being said, Yuffie took the enthusiastic Ginny under her wing. It seemed that she'd wanted a little sister as much as a little brother.

Vincent was another matter entirely. Tall, dark, and brooding, with a somewhat cold demeanour, Harry liked him regardless because, well, he was cool in a way. And he had smiled at Harry, a few times. Harry had brought something out, hidden deep within the icy heart of the former Turk.

And there was Nanaki. He looked really fierce (well, he did look like a mountain lion, and sometimes acted like a dog, barking and howling), but outside of battle, he was calm and solemn, though a faint trace of the immaturity he was supposed to have occasionally shone through. He had become a bit subdued in the wake of his adopted grandfather's death, but soon fell into helping administer Cosmo Canyon. Harry liked him. He was one of the more ludicrous things about this world, and yet one of the best. Plus, he occasionally had fantasies of setting Nanaki on his relatives.

It was strange seeing Cait Sith without his Mog mount, and two of them at once. But Marlene delighted in playing with the robot cat, and Harry had to admit, he had a charming personality. Reeve, Cait Sith's creator and sometimes controller, was a nice guy too.

So too were the Turks, though Harry didn't forget that Tseng and Reno were responsible for the Sector 7 Slums destruction. But they seemed to have reconciled with Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith, and Reno was funny, even if he said things that made Aerith rebuke him. He did like Elena more, though, but this was partly because they had become friendly during Elena's temporary alliance with AVALANCHE. If it weren't for the fact that she was still in the Turks, Harry may have counted her as another big sister. He was building quite the collection.

Rufus was a bit warmer than he used to be. Still detached and snide, but Harry had seen into the depths of his soul, and while he couldn't count Rufus as either friend or family, he still thought of him as a comrade-in-arms, had he been able to make such a comparison.

And Jenova? In a way, she was like an aunt to Harry. There was something vaguely maternal and protective about the vicious, alien entity, now anyway. And she had gotten better. In fact, despite the fact she had killed people, and had been, in a way, responsible for what had happened, she was still much better than Petunia. Jenova had saved Harry's life from Sephiroth's attack, during that final battle deep within the Northern Crater. And like Rufus, Harry had seen into the depths of Jenova's soul, and discovered the horrible tragedy of her fate.

And then, there was his actual family. Marlene, the adopted daughter of Barrett Wallace, and now, as she was frequently left with the Gainsboroughs, his little sister. The at-turns rambunctious and shy little girl. His adoptive mother, Elmyra, who treated him in a way that he felt his aunt should have treated him. Not spoiling him by any means, but treating him as a normal kid, asking him to help with chores, and disciplining him when he was naughty, but treating him with kindness and respect. Sirius, who was now effectively an uncle, a bit broody since the events at the Crater, but now becoming his cheerful self again.

And Aerith. His big sister. The first person in so very long to show him love and affection, and the first he could remember, given that he only saw bits of memory of his parents. The one who protected him, and whom he protected in return. He was occasionally haunted by nightmares of what may have happened had he not happened to look up and see Sephiroth swooping down to murder her. He saw the end of the Masamune sword sprouting from her stomach, Sephiroth smiling in triumph, and the Holy Materia bouncing away, dropping into the waters below that sacred platform beneath the City of the Ancients.

But she was alive, here and now. Her warmth, her mischievousness, her compassion…he had it. And he could only hope that he gave her enough back in return. He had so much to be grateful to her for, more than any other person present here today.

And then, the time finally came. Yuffie, enthusiastically, used a Fire spell to set the candles alight (and managed it without causing any other problems, amazingly), and the cake was sat at a fold-out table that Harry was led over, as most of those present, bar a few (Snape, Rufus, and Rude, for varying reasons), began singing…

 _Happy birthday to you,_

 _Happy birthday to you,_

 _Happy birthday, dear Harry,_

 _Happy birthday to you!_

Harry grinned, and then blew out the eleven candles. Only to fail. Scowling, he tried again, only to fail. He glared at Yuffie. "Can you blow out a Fire spell with your breath?"

"Uh…oops," Yuffie said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

* * *

The cake was delicious, a chocolate one. Harry rarely had a chance to have chocolate at the Dursleys, and indeed, had to watch while Dudley scarfed down bars by the truckload. It was all he could do not to scarf down as much as he could.

Even Snape seemed to be enjoying the cake, or at least seemed to have a pleased smirk on his face rather than his usual scowl. Harry stared for a moment as Ron all but shoved his piece into his mouth, earning a rebuke from his mother and laughter from Sirius and Lupin. Dumbledore certainly seemed to enjoy his slice, and then offered lemon sherbets. Harry was surprised that the wizard enjoyed a Muggle sweet, but Dumbledore merely gave him a twinkly eye. "Few wizards know about the small wonders of the Muggle world, to their eternal detriment."

"We tend to see the grime and filth instead," Snape remarked snidely, though there was something in his tone that made Harry curious. He remembered what his mother had said about Snape, that they had grown up in the same town, and Snape was from one of the poorer parts of the town. She had mentioned that what little he had said about his family wasn't good: his father, not a wizard, was apparently not the best of people, and a drinker. Snape then admitted, "It's surprising to see magic an open part of everyday life here, and in a world filled with technology too."

"In a good way?" Aerith asked.

Snape gave a non-committal shrug. Which was a good answer from him, considering.

"Arthur would be so amazed," Molly said. "He works at the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, dealing with objects people enchant with magic, usually to cause mischief with Muggles. Some of the things he comes across…" She shook her head. "I know that the twins give you grief, Professors, but some of the things I have heard of make their antics pale by comparison. Like a Muggle…gun, is it? He said it was enchanted to fire bullets into the wielder.(2)"

Everyone else present, save for Ron and Ginny, who didn't really know what guns were, winced. "Nasty stuff, yeah?" Reno drawled.

"It would be a nasty surprise," Tseng admitted.

"Indeed," Rude concurred.

* * *

After the cake, came the presents. Harry was sure to thank everyone, even if they didn't actually bring him any.

The first, surprisingly, were the Turks. Reno had the idea for the present, and the other Turks chipped in. Harry was the proud owner of the latest model electro-rod. Aerith and Elmyra weren't so pleased with it, given that it was a weapon, but let Harry keep it, as long as he promised only to use it if necessary. Harry had shown himself very capable in using it during battle, especially at Rocket Town, and had used the non-lethal abilities of the weapon. Only during the fight against Sephiroth did he used the more lethal abilities, and even then, he stuck to using Materia for the most part.

Cloud and Tifa had gotten Harry presents that had gone down better, with Aerith and Elmyra anyway. Barrett and Cid had also contributed to them. An Aurora Armlet and a Ribbon were their contribution.

Vincent, Yuffie, and Nanaki all contributed Materia. Nanaki had a Full-Cure Materia that a shop owner in Cosmo Canyon had held for some time, Yuffie was giving Harry the Phoenix Summon (she had been given it at the end of their last adventure), and Vincent had obtained a Final Attack Materia(3). Paired together, the Final Attack Materia and the Phoenix Materia ensured that Harry could survive a fatal attack at least once. Full-Cure could help recover any wounds.

Reeve, being of a practical mindset, bought Harry one of the latest PHS phones, heavily shielded against Mako Energy. He even offered to make any modifications necessary for it to 'phone home' so to speak.

Rufus gave Harry a ticket for him, as well as three others, to go and see a one-night performance of _Loveless_ at the Junon Arts Complex in three days' time. He was surprised at the hug he got from the boy.

Jenova gave Harry a book on the history of the Cetra. As it turned out, the book was authored by none other than Professor Gast Faremis and Ifalna, and Jenova said that it was as much Aerith's as it was Harry's. She found that Hojo had printed a copy of the book that Gast and Ifalna had on a computer at their home at Icicle Inn, and had retrieved it from Hojo's personal possessions some time ago.

Marlene gave Harry a flower. Apparently, she had asked for one from the church back at Midgar. When Aerith first met Cloud, he had bought the same sort of flower off her, and had given it to Marlene in a gesture that surprised both Tifa and Barrett, because the girl had been so intimidated by him. It was the first sign to Barrett, and the rest of AVALANCHE, that Cloud wasn't as cold as he acted(4). Tifa was just wondering where the true Cloud was hiding. Harry took it with a smile.

Ron's birthday present turned out to be a second-hand copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_. Harry didn't mind. Sirius had known the Weasleys, and had told him that they were not well-off. Ginny gave him another second-hand book: one of _The Adventures of Harry Potter_ , which she presented with a blush and an incoherent squeak. He thanked them both. Ginny looked like she was about to faint.

Molly gave him a jumper, one she knitted herself. It was a little big, but Harry didn't mind. He thanked her too.

Lupin was next. He couldn't get Harry much, as he found it hard to keep steady work given his condition (which Harry, Sirius, and Aerith refrained from mentioning), but he had old notes and books for Defence Against the Dark Arts that he said may be useful. He also had a few photos of Harry's parents and their friends. Harry was surprised to see the photos moving, as if they were videos. Apparently all magical pictures had something like this.

Hagrid said he would get Harry a present when he took them through Diagon Alley, so Snape was next. The forbidding Potions Master handed Harry a textbook. "This is the assigned text for Potions this year, Mr Pot…Mr Gainsborough," he said, correcting himself. "I want you to memorise it. I make it a habit of testing new students on their knowledge. I want you to prove to me that you are not intending to coast by on your fame, or that you are as big a dunderhead as many I have taught." He shot a venomous look at Sirius. Although Sirius had never been taught by Snape, it was clear that Sirius was firmly in the 'dunderhead' category. And worse, if what Harry had been told by both Sirius and the shades of his parents.

"I'll do my best, sir. And thank you for this book."

The sincerity of the boy's words put Snape off-balance. He eventually gave a curt nod, and then strode away.

Dumbledore's present got a surprised look from Sirius. It turned out to be an old copy of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_. "This is a book of children's stories of Magical Britain," Dumbledore said. "Many copies have the stories changed to reflect changes in tastes, as well as the blood purity agenda, but this edition is closer to the original, given my researches. Given your upbringing, it's a shame that you've never gotten to read these, and I am sure that you'll enjoy them."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said, smiling.

The last gift was from Aerith, Sirius, and Elmyra: a Golden Ticket, a lifetime pass to the Golden Saucer. There was even a personal invitation from the owner, Dio, to try his skill in the Battle Square arena, as well as a 100 GP voucher.

Harry embraced them, beginning to cry a little. This had been the best birthday of his short life. Okay, so he didn't have much to compare it to, what with him being unable to remember his first, and every other birthday being at the Dursleys', but this…this, he hoped, he would remember for the rest of his life.

 **CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Awww…this is so sweet, isn't it? Harry got some pretty good presents, didn't he?**

 **What else needs to be said? I think this chapter speaks for itself.**

 **1\. Ginny's reaction to being told that Yuffie was a ninja princess was inspired by a review of Zane Tribal Tyne Alexandros' on** ** _Harry Potter and the Cetra Heritage_** **. I didn't do things quite as he suggested, but I decided that the idea was intriguing enough to put my own spin on things. Thanks, Zane!**

 **2\. Another concept from Arsinoe de Blassenville's** ** _The Best Revenge_** **, or rather, its sequel,** ** _The Best Revenge: Time of the Basilisk_** **. In that fanfic, during a school excursion to the Ministry of Magic, they go to the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, and Arthur Weasley, while trying to demonstrate why this would be a bad idea, shows the charmed gun and explains what is wrong with it. He points out that a number of Aurors and Obliviators were called in to deal with the understandably gory aftermath. I thought it was such a good addition to the mythos and a point to make that I added it here.**

 **3\. Either Vincent got it in his travels, or he decided to go for a few rounds in Battle Square at Golden Saucer. He may have done the latter to keep his battle skills sharp.**

 **4\. In the game, you have a choice to give it to Tifa, or to Marlene. I usually give it to Marlene, not because I hate Tifa, but I like showing Cloud's nice nature, hidden beneath his coldness.**


	7. Chapter 6: Repercussions, Requests, and

**CHAPTER 6:**

 **REPERCUSSIONS, REQUESTS, AND RETURNS**

As the picnic was cleared away, Dumbledore took Aerith aside. Sirius and Elmyra had looked concerned, but Aerith waved them away. She had grown up for much of her life in the Sector 5 slums. Dumbledore might be a powerful wizard, but Aerith had faced down Sephiroth. She also kept, at all times, a Minerva Bracelet with a couple of the Materia Yuffie had left when she returned to Wutai. If she needed to, she could set the old man's beard on fire. Hopefully, she wouldn't need to.

A little way away, they stopped, and looked out at the ruins of Midgar. Eventually, Dumbledore said, "Such a strange and wonderful world, isn't it? Even I, in my wildest dreams, have never dreamt of meeting people like Mr Nanaki, or Mr Tuesti, who has managed with technology to do something even powerful wizards struggle to. And this is but a small portion of the world. Perhaps one day, I shall come back."

"I never saw much of it until recently," Aerith said. "I grew up in the slums of Midgar after escaping Shinra. It was only thanks to Cloud and the others that I saw more. Kalm, Fort Condor, Junon, Costa del Sol, Corel, the Golden Saucer, Gongaga, Cosmo Canyon, Nibelheim, Rocket Town, Wutai, the Temple of the Ancients, Bone Village, the City of the Ancients, Icicle Inn, the Great Northern Crater…I would never have seen all those places."

Silence fell once more, and then Aerith said, "What did you want, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore winced at the slight disrespect. But she knew of his failings. Eventually, he said, "I know how concerned you are about Harry coming to Hogwarts. And to be fair, you are right to be concerned. Many of the Death Eaters, Voldemort's followers, managed to get let off by pleading the Imperius curse."

"That's the mind-control curse Sirius mentioned," Aerith said.

"Exactly. These Death Eaters have children who now go to Hogwarts. One of the top accused Death Eaters, a powerful man by the name of Lucius Malfoy, has a son who will be in Harry's year. I doubt that they will try anything truly drastic like an assassination, but I cannot put it beyond the realm of possibility. Additionally, there are other factors. An old friend of mine has agreed to use a special artifact as bait to lure Voldemort, or at least his most loyal and hidden supporters, out of hiding. I intend to use the opportunity to trap Voldemort, should he be the one to emerge, and ensure Harry does not have to face him."

"By letting him potentially wreak havoc amongst your students?" Aerith asked. "Sirius once speculated that you've gone senile. I'm beginning to wonder the same thing."

"My dear girl…"

"Save it," Aerith said. "I'm not your girl. Don't think I have, or will forget what you did to Harry. You condemned him to nine years of a very unhappy life. You had your reasons, I know, but the fact remains that you still did this. You knew that the Dursleys would not treat him with love. Perhaps you didn't know the depths to which they would sink, but you could have kept an eye on him."

"Petunia…made it very clear that she didn't want us coming around. I stationed a trusted friend, an Arabella Figg, to watch Harry. Her purpose was to make sure no suspicious characters found out where Harry lived. She did tell me a little of how he was treated, but she could only see so much, and I put the best possible interpretation on it. I was a fool, because the blood wards meant so much. At least two Death Eaters did manage to track Harry down. The blood wards…dealt with them, and I felt vindicated by my choice."

"At the cost of his happiness?" Aerith asked. "You said you wanted Harry to have a normal, safe life away from his fame. I can understand that, but with his relatives the way they were, how much can you say his life was normal, or even safe?"

"I know, Miss Gainsborough, I know! I truly know!" After that initial outburst, the old man closed his eyes. "I have collected as many mistakes and regrets in my life as I have titles and acclaim," Dumbledore said quietly. "I know that I have even been seduced by my own legend, by other people saying how wise and infallible I am. It was from my personal experience with unsought and unearned fame that I sought to shield Harry from his own. I was reminded of my sins not long ago, by your Goddess, as well as my own sister, whom she brought back from the dead. But there is one thing I must do. Miss Gainsborough, you may think that I am being cavalier with the safety of the students, and with Harry. But I need to rid the world of Voldemort. In many ways, it is my fault that he turned out the way he did. However, I have realised that I cannot do it alone. To my shame, I believed that I could, because I had been seduced by my own fame. But…looking back at it, I did little. Which is why I brought you aside. I know you wish to protect Harry, which is why I intend to invite you to join the staff of Hogwarts, at least for this year."

Aerith blinked. She had intended to try and find a way to make sure she was near Hogwarts, to make sure Harry was safe. But this? Eventually, she stammered, "You…want to _hire_ me?"

"Yes. The official story is that you will be an assistant and apprentice to our resident healer, Madam Poppy Pomfrey. Your curative Materia may be an interesting boon to us, though only she, and the other Heads of House, will be notified of where you actually came from. However, you will be there not only to keep an eye on Harry, but to help me with the trap. Voldemort and his followers would not expect the kind of magic from this world. And a fresh perspective could help."

Aerith glanced at Snape. "What about him? Sirius and the shades of Harry's parents told me what he used to be. A Death Eater."

Dumbledore looked over at Snape, before saying, "Snape may hate Harry. But I trust him with Harry's life, and my own. If you have spoken to Lily, you'll know why."

"Unrequited love," Aerith said. "A dangerous obsession."

"True, and one I myself have known. But his loyalty is not to me, or to Voldemort, though he works for me. No, his true loyalty is to Lily and her memory, forevermore. As long as that is the case, Snape may hate him, but he will protect him to his dying breath. And perhaps today may see something more than hate between them. Harry, despite knowing about Snape's past, has been nothing but polite. And without glasses, his resemblance to James is lessened. Snape may never let go of his hatred and spite…but it may yet be tempered."

"I hope that it is." Aerith considered Dumbledore's offer for a few minutes. It meant that she would probably be away from home for a long time, but it also meant that she could keep an eye on Harry. And that was what mattered. Eventually, she said, "I'll come, but on one major condition."

"And what is that?"

"I bring Jenova with me."

* * *

Jenova considered this carefully. "It should be easy to split my consciousness between two bodies," she mused. "Whether I can do it across worlds is another matter."

Dumbledore peered dubiously at the alien entity. "How do I know you won't be a danger to the students?"

Jenova scoffed, looking over to Harry, who was once more talking animatedly to the Weasley children, as well as Yuffie and Nanaki. "You don't, though frankly, any of your staff members, or you yourself, can be a danger. You are powerful mages, of course. The truth is, though, that I will do virtually anything to keep Harry safe. I am not his mother, by birth or by adoption. But…I was once the Goddess of another world, a world long since dead. A protector, a guardian. I have decided that is what I will be again. Anyone or anything who threatens what I hold dear, I shall make them choke on their lifeblood, long ere they die." She turned back to Dumbledore. "So if you wish to trap Voldemort, then I will gladly help." An unpleasant, predatory grin lit up her features. "He _will_ rue the day he was born."

Dumbledore shuddered. Why did he get the feeling that his acceptance would seal a Mephistophelean pact?

* * *

Soon, the time came to return to the church. This time, Aerith and Harry accompanied them back to the church in the helicopter, while Sirius, Cloud, and Tifa stayed behind. In the helicopter, arrangements were made. On August 24th, if they could, they would use the Goddess' Gate to return to Earth. There, they would stay for a week at the Burrow, the home of the Weasleys in the village of Ottery St Catchpole. From there, they would go to Diagon Alley and pick up Harry's school things. And then, from the Burrow to King's Cross, and the Hogwarts Express.

Harry spent the remaining time he had chatting with Remus and Hagrid, who regaled him with anecdotes about his father. Harry didn't fail to notice Snape rolling his eyes, but ignored it. He'll show Snape he wasn't his father, that he would work hard to get where he needed to be. He didn't want fame and celebrity, especially not for something he didn't do. He wanted to get his way to the top himself. Not without help from friends and family, true, but he wanted to be seen and assessed on his own merits, the merits of Harry Gainsborough, nee Potter. Not the Boy Who Lived, but the Boy Who Strived.

Sirius had warned him as they got on the helicopter that the next few weeks were going to involve a crash-course in the society and history of Magical Britain. " _It's a jungle, Harry, a rabid jungle_ ," Sirius had said. " _And if you step the wrong way, things could go bad, even if you're the Boy Who Lived._ "

Harry didn't know what he could do, or what he was going to do, with his life, his fame, and everything else. But he knew he was going to try and enjoy life, and what it had to offer. There were many things that his journey with Aerith and AVALANCHE taught him, and one of them was this: you never knew if you were going to live as long as his parents, who died in their early twenties, or as long as Dumbledore, who was even now well over a hundred, and having a vitality that men half his age would envy. But you should try to enjoy life, and help others.

Deep thoughts for one so young, indeed. But Harry had confronted horrors and dangers no child his age should have to. He had stared death in the face, and loss. He had been forced to kill. But he survived, and he had grown stronger without losing vital humanity. A remarkable feat.

They soon arrived back at the church, and the seven visitors were directed to stand amongst the patch of flowers after giving their final goodbyes. "See you later, Harry!" Ron called out as they stood amongst the flowers.

Harry nodded. "Take care, Ron."

Then, ribbons of green light gathered around the seven visitors, and they soon vanished in a flare of verdant light.

Harry turned to Aerith, and smiled tiredly. "Thanks, Aerith. This was the best birthday I'd ever had."

Aerith nodded, bringing the now eleven-year old boy into an embrace, running a hand gently through his messy black hair. For a moment, brother and sister, not by blood but by deed and thought, stood there in their embrace. Rufus, the Turks, and Jenova just stood there, watching, a joke from Reno cut off when Rude elbowed the red-haired Turk in the ribs.

Then, the two siblings broke their embrace, and Aerith led the now-yawning Harry away. It had been a big day for the boy, one that embodied the hope for the future.

* * *

In the helicopter ride back to Kalm, Harry was now snoozing, leaning up against his sister. Aerith and Jenova, however, were quietly talking.

"What do you reckon? Is Dumbledore taking a big risk trying to lure Voldemort to Hogwarts?" Aerith asked.

"Yes. But high stakes come with high risks, and high rewards. And with us involved, I think the odds have evened out somewhat." Jenova smiled. "Between the two of us, we'll make sure that Harry is safe. Otherwise, Voldemort is not the only one who'll feel our wrath…"

 **CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Dumbledore gets held to account, and in turn, makes Aerith a startling offer. The wizards return to Earth, and arrangements are made for Harry to stay at the Burrow. This will bear fruit in the next story, I promise.**

 **No numbered annotations, sorry.**


	8. Chapter 7: Unchained

**CHAPTER 7:**

 **UNCHAINED**

The seven who had been to the Planet went their separate ways. Snape almost immediately went to his quarters. Remus left by Apparition, while the Weasleys left for Hogsmeade, and a Floo to their house.

Hagrid and Dumbledore made it to Dumbledore's office, where Minerva McGonagall was waiting, looking rather tired. "Ah, Albus," she said, smiling rather wanly. "How was the trip?" She had been told of what had happened, and what they were doing, as well as the fact that Black was innocent, and currently on another world with Harry. She regretted not being able to go, but her duty was to deal with Muggleborn students and their parents.

"It went very well, actually. Snape, Remus, and Black managed to avoid hexing each other. Harry was delighted to have the birthday he had, and seemed to get along well with the Weasleys, even if learning about the books about him was a bit of a shock. And I got to meet a most interesting and eloquent mountain lion," Dumbledore said, with an impish smile.

"A mountain lion?" McGonagall said in sheer amazement. Had Dumbledore gone cuckoo?

"Tha's right, Professor," Hagrid said. "His name were Nanaki. Some stupid Muggle professor called him Red XIII or some such rubbish."

McGonagall blinked. Eventually, she said, "It sounds like quite the tale. How is Sirius, by the way?"

"Doing well, though he still rankles at the injustice of it all, understandably." Dumbledore became solemn. "I have failed too many people, Minerva. Harry, Sirius…I want to make I don't fail them again." Shaking his head, he smiled again. "So, how were the Muggleborn students, Minerva?"

"Well, Albus, I daresay that there's one of them whom we can expect great things from. A girl, very enthusiastic. I had to remind her of the Statute of Secrecy when she said she was going to try some spells on her own. She reminds me of Lily, a little, with her brilliance and eagerness to learn."

"And what is this prodigy's name?" Dumbledore asked.

"Hermione Granger…"

* * *

Said girl was devouring facts from her books eagerly. She had bushy brown hair, and rather prominent front teeth. It was so strange to learn that she was magical, that she was a witch. But it explained so much, so many strange incidents.

Hermione had a hunger for learning. For information. Even if magic hadn't quite fit into her own worldview beforehand, she believed enough of the evidence of her own eyes. She couldn't dismiss magic, so she began to find a way to fit it into her worldview. Her father had helped with a quote by Arthur C Clarke: _Any sufficiently advanced technology can be indistinguishable from magic_. Not that magic seemed to use much actual technology, but the quote reassured her. So did some of what she read from the textbooks. It meant that magic could be quantified, and analysed.

It was a whole new world out there, and one she intended to learn all that she could about. And it was on that night that she first read about the rise and fall of Voldemort, and the Boy Who lived…

* * *

Not long after the Weasleys got home, they found that they had a guest waiting for them in the backyard. Luna Lovegood was a frequent visitor to the Burrow, being one of Ginny's friends. But the twins were also fond enough of her to play with her and keep her occupied while they waited.

The ethereal-looking blond with the pale eyes had greeted them with, "You seem to have some Arinvems(1) on you. That's interesting. They're very rare. Better to have those than wrackspurts."

Ron blinked, adopted an expression that seemed to say 'bloody mental', and excused himself. Molly merely smiled indulgently. For all her nonsensical utterances, Luna was a good girl, and Molly didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings. She had seen her mother die in front of her, and in a most horrible fashion, too.

Ginny, however, was excited. While she did have to take a magical vow not to reveal the presence of Sirius Black, or exactly where Harry was, she was allowed to say that she had met Harry Potter, and that he was coming to stay here. An announcement that had Fred and George gaping in amazement. And Luna cocked her head curiously.

Ginny then spoke, in something of a rush (though she was very careful to omit any details that could have her breaking her vow) about their day. The cover story for the moment was that Harry had ended up in an isolated land, where Harry had now been adopted. And his friends were strange.

Fred, George, and Luna hung onto every word. "Wow…" Fred said.

"It looks like Harry has already had an adventure. And you can't tell us about it?" George asked.

"We had to swear oaths on our magic," Molly said.

Fred and George nodded. For all their frivolity, they knew that vows on their magic were not to be taken lightly, lest one lose their magic.

Luna seemed to frown. "Ginny…did you say a woman present was called Jenova?"

"Yes, I did," Ginny said. "Why? Do you know the name?"

"It was a name I heard once in a legend. I think the person who wrote it had a bad case of the nargles, though."

Nargles? Legend? Ginny didn't know of the legend of the Cetra Exodus, and neither did any of the others present. But Ginny did remember that odd bit of interest Luna had shown in the name Jenova. Time would show why…

* * *

"Hello, Turnip," Xenophilus Lovegood said, as his daughter skipped through the door of their home. "How was it?"

"Oh, wonderful, daddy," Luna said, with one of the brightest smiles he had seen on her for a long time. She had become a bit forlorn since her mother died. "I learned something interesting. We may have to wait until later, though, to put it into _The Quibbler_."

"Why? What have you learned, Pumpkin?"

"Ginny has met Harry Potter. He'll soon be coming to Hogwarts."

"Ah, and it's about time!" Xenophilus said with a smile. "You may be right. It's probably better to delay it, at least until he's at Hogwarts. I daresay he could do without the extra publicity. A shame you're not going to Hogwarts this year."

"He'll be staying at the Weasleys. Maybe if his guardians let him, they might let you do an interview."

"Well, we can but hope! Better than letting that Skeeter woman get her claws into him, anyway. If he has enough sense, he'll steer clear of the _Prophet_."

Luna nodded. "Maybe. Hopefully, the wrackspurts won't get to him beforehand."

To herself, she thought, _I look forward to meeting you, Harry. And Jenova. After all, we are long overdue for a Reunion…_

* * *

Ron found Scabbers, sleeping, as usual, in his cage. He sighed, annoyed. _Stupid, useless fat rat_ , he thought. He hadn't been told about Pettigrew, or at least that he had been an Animagus, so he didn't even think twice about his rat.

Still, what a day. He got to meet Harry Potter. And Sirius Black, of all people! It was weird, he was innocent of all charges. Food for thought.

But Harry Potter…well, he certainly wasn't what Ron was expecting. He seemed like a normal kid, laughing and enjoying himself. But Ron didn't fail to notice the occasional emptiness that had crept into his eyes, especially when some part or another of his adventures was mentioned, like a nasty death, or Sephiroth. This Sephiroth guy must've been pretty scary, if what they said was true. And of course, there was the way he looked when discussing the Dursleys.

And there were all those new people, not to mention that weird mountain lion who could speak, and the two talking cats with crowns and capes. Harry, it seemed, lived an interesting life now.

In a way, it made Ron jealous that Harry had had an adventure. But he also remembered what Harry himself had said, that until some months ago, he had been living the life of a house-elf. That, in a perverse way, was the most unbelievable thing of the whole day, but…the way Dumbledore confirmed these things, it had to be true, right?

Ron was glad that Harry liked his present. He and Ginny had used some of their meagre pocket money in a second-hand bookshop at Diagon Alley. Ron didn't like many books, but he thought the Quidditch one would be a good bet. From what he had heard before then, Harry hadn't even heard of Quidditch.

Ron looked forward to the day when Harry and his sister were staying here. Not so much Jenova, though she was apparently coming as well. It would be an interesting week before the trip on the Hogwarts Express…

* * *

Remus Lupin slept better than he had in years. His talk with Sirius today had helped repair wounds that had festered for the best part of a decade. The two surviving Marauders (Prongs being dead, and Wormtail, being a traitor, as good as) had been reunited. And they had a common goal now: keeping Harry safe.

He hoped that Harry's first year at Hogwarts would go well. He didn't miss the discussions between Dumbledore and the others. Plans were definitely being made. He just hoped Harry would be kept safe.

* * *

In his rooms, Severus Snape stared in disbelief at his arm. It was no longer there. The Dark Mark, while faded, had been an ever-present reminder of one of his poorest decisions. The skull with a snake emerging from its mouth no longer mocked him from his forearm, even faded. The leash the Dark Lord had on him had disappeared.

He couldn't believe it. How had the Dark Mark been removed? How could it be?

He got his answer, later that night, in his dreams.

* * *

He was in darkness, a darkness filled with scintillating and undulating ribbons of green light. There was a serenity to the setting that reminded him of the church in the ruins of Midgar.

Where am I? he thought to himself, not expecting an answer.

But he got one regardless.

"You are…connected, shall we say? To the Lifestream. The Cetra Heritage allows me to speak to you in this manner," came a calm, authoritative voice, a woman's. An armoured figure strode from out of the dim green mist.

Snape didn't know who she was, but he could make a guess. "Minerva, I presume?"

"Indeed, Professor Severus Snape, otherwise known as the Half-Blood Prince." Seeing his shocked expression, she smiled. "To me, your soul is an open book, just like the Potions text you wrote notes in. Otherwise, I could not find you worthy to pass through the Goddess' Gate, and to the Planet. There is much darkness in your soul, Severus. So much darkness. But, deep within, there is still light. That is why I allowed you to come through. But I decided to take one thing away from you, for something so vile cannot pass through the Gate." She held up a blackened outline in dark smoke, of a snake emerging from the mouth of a skull. "Your erstwhile master, or at least one of them, branded you like livestock. It was in my power to remove said brand. I did so."

Snape blinked at her. For a moment, he was tempted to say, _Am I supposed to thank you?_ But he bit off that remark: annoying a deity was probably not a good idea. Instead, he asked, "Why?"

"Why? Many reasons. You regretted taking the Dark Mark. It is a perpetual symbol of being leashed to Voldemort. And as long as your loyalties are divided twixt Voldemort and Dumbledore, then Harry will be caught in the middle of the conflicting loyalties."

"Potter…" Snape snarled. "Everything revolves around him."

"Only because Voldemort chose to fulfil the prophecy, or at least part of it," Minerva said. "Harry didn't choose to be attacked by Voldemort. Voldemort chose to attack Harry."

"You sound like Dumbledore."

"He isn't wrong in that regard, and to be fair to the man, he tends to make better decisions when they don't involve Harry or Voldemort. Who else would have seen the light in your soul, deep within the darkness?"

"Is there a point to this?" Snape asked wearily. "I presume you want something of me."

"I do, but there is one in whom the want is much stronger."

Then, from out of the mist, emerged a too-familiar pair of figures. James Potter…and Lily. "Hello, Severus," Lily said.

"Hey, Snape," James said, before being elbowed by Lily.

It took some time before Snape found his voice again. "What trick is this?"

"No trick," Minerva said. "On the Planet, the consciousness of the dead return to the Lifestream. Your world has something not dissimilar. I brought the shades of Harry's parents across, so that they may speak to him. I have connected your mind to the Lifestream on the Planet, and thus, you are now able to talk to them."

"Well, talk to Lily, anyway," James said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I don't think you want to listen to anything I want to say. For what it's worth, there's times that I'm sorry for being a berk to you, Snape. Moot point now, isn't it?"

Snape didn't reply to Potter. He couldn't be bothered. Instead, he watched, mutely, as Lily approached him. Oh, how vital she looked, for a dead person. The ground beneath their feet seemed to shift and change into a grassy hill. Much like the one they frequented outside of Cokeworth. She sat down, and mutely, he followed suit. Potter and Minerva faded into the mist.

It was Lily who broke the silence. "Did you ever think that if Voldemort spared me, I would have gone with you willingly?" she asked quietly. "What would you have used? The Imperius curse? Amortentia potion?"

He didn't say anything. What could he say? She was right, damn it, and he had no response.

Once more, silence fell, and once more, Lily broke it. "We both have regrets about that day, don't we, Severus? About the day you called me a Mudblood."

"I didn't know you regretted it," Snape confessed. "Though I wasn't thinking of you."

"No. You weren't. But I do regret that day. I regret what happened to our friendship. I regret you falling into the darkness. I mean, our friendship was already in trouble, but…just one word. One word. And our friendship was killed." She looked out at the dancing ribbons of the Lifestream. The same colour as her eyes, he realised, and as Harry's, and Aerith's. "I don't regret seeing the true James Potter, Severus, or having Harry. I know that it pains you to be told that, but I have to tell you. Being the Potions Master that you are, you know all too well that often good medicine is bitter. That is why I told Harry about us. About what we were, what we very nearly were. Forgiveness…sometimes, it's hard for me to find any in my heart. Your actions led to our deaths…but…you still decided to try and help us. Well, help me."

"Harry knows about us," Snape said bleakly. "I had made Dumbledore vow not to say anything…and a ghost made that moot." A bitter chuckle wormed from his lips.

"I told him because he needs to know. And I watched as things unfolded. Despite everything James and I, along with Sirius, told him, he still approached you, and said he wanted to learn from you. I know how you feel about him. I know that Dumbledore holds you to a vow to protect him. But I want you to promise me something. I don't expect you to love Harry or like him. But I want you to teach him, and protect him to the best of your ability. Make sure that he survives whatever Voldemort throws at him."

Snape closed his eyes, and said, quietly, "I did not need a ghost to tell me that." He pulled his wand out of his robes (strange that he had it in this dream), and intoned, " _Expecto patronum_."

Out of his wand burst a shape that, to Lily, was very familiar. James Potter's Patronus was a stag. Lily's was a doe. And it seemed that Snape had emulated Lily's Patronus.

"It was for _you_ , Lily," Snape said quietly, as Lily watched the Patronus canter off. "Always. You, and nobody else. Not Dumbledore. Not Potter. Only you. Your son must prove himself in the classroom to me…but I will make sure he does not fall to Voldemort."

Lily nodded. His devotion to her was somewhat disturbing, but even so, there was a sorrow and determination in Snape's eyes that spoke of his sincerity. "Minerva has granted you a new chance at life. Once the fight with Voldemort is over, use it. Find someone, Severus. You don't deserve this heartache forever." Gently, she leaned over, and kissed him gently on the forehead. "Maybe we may speak again. Maybe we won't. But remember your promise, Severus. And remember, you will be protecting Harry, but he may want to protect you too, for the sake of our former friendship."

Snape nodded, and said, his voice cracking with emotion, "Goodbye, Lily."

"Goodbye, Severus," Lily said, before she walked into the Lifestream.

* * *

When Snape woke up, he saw that the pillow had been moistened by tears. Controlling himself with an effort, he roused himself to face the day…and the day not far off when Harry Gainsborough would be coming to Hogwarts…

 **HARRY GAINSBOROUGH WILL RETURN IN…** ** _HARRY GAINSBOROUGH AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE_**

 **CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **And here, this story ends. It wasn't meant as a full story per se, just an interquel between stories, a nice interlude. And as I said in the summary, an island of calm between two storms.**

 **I've also begun the process of setting Snape down a new path. Oh, he'll still be a foul git most of the time, but he's also beginning to shed his preconceptions about Harry. Keep in mind, though, that he'll still be biased against Gryffindor and for Slytherin. I've also found that a good way to write Snape is actually imagining him as Kerr Avon from** ** _Blake's 7_** **.**

 **Canon Snape was frankly a creepy POS. As Lily rightly points out to him, what made him believe that she would fall into his arms once James and Harry were dead? Would he have used some means of controlling her? Snape doesn't reply because he knows she's right. Lily hasn't quite forgiven him, but she is at least trying to give him a chance to redeem himself.**

 **I'm kicking myself because I didn't remember to write in a scene where Snape receives a selection of the potions, etc from the** ** _Final Fantasy VII_** **verse. I guess I'll write it into the sequel.**

 **Anyway, looks like things are in place. Now, in case I didn't make it clearer, Dumbledore informed the birthday guests about Sirius Black and his innocence, albeit after extracting a magical vow from them. He didn't notify them about how Pettigrew escaped, because Dumbledore is yet unaware of where Pettigrew actually is. Scabbers was probably not the only pet rat amongst the students. However, that will change, come the first year: someone will notice Scabbers' distinctive lack of a toe. Sirius' name will be cleared, or at least started to, during First Year.**

 **Now, for answering reviews.** **Zane Tribal Tyne Alexandros** **has already posted reviews. His enthusiasm about the story is heartening. Anyway, to answer his reviews.**

 **Firstly, I chose to do a recap (albeit a fairly lengthy one) to get readers up to speed with the story, especially if they happen to stumble across it on this website.**

 **Secondly, well, I think Reno certainly leaves a lasting impression on Ron. Ron probably thinks he's cool, though any attempt to emulate him probably would lead to Molly cuffing him around the head.**

 **Thirdly, keep in mind that Aerith, while she has these qualities, also has more to her than that. This is the girl who threatened Don Corneo's genitals ("I'll rip them off"), after all. Snape and Aerith, as you will have seen in Chapter 3, have a heart to heart regarding Lily and Harry.**

 **Fourthly, I didn't think about that, regarding Jenova and Lupin. Lupin is wary of her, thanks to his inner wolf, but he's not in the foetal position. He spent most of the time speaking to Sirius and Harry, though I guess he and Vincent did have a talk. Not much of one, but Lupin is considering returning.**

 **Fifthly, of course Hagrid would be interested in chocobos. I'm annoyed I didn't think about that, but let's just say he was told offscreen, and would like to come back and have a look at the Chocobo Ranch. He'd probably also be interested in many of the monsters, though. I can just imagine him with a Midgar Zolom or a Malboro. Can you imagine a Malboro at Hogwarts?**

 **Sixthly, Dumbledore and Snape may one day return to Gaia, and visit the City. Other wizards may reside there. Lupin, I already have in mind.**

 **Finally, regarding Materia, possibly. I haven't thought of that, but it's a good idea.**

 **Deanna Saber** **: Harry and the Weasley twins will get on very well. I hope to have him participate in one prank with them at least. How could he not with Sirius being with him the past few months?**

 **Kira Akuma** **: You know, that's never occurred to me. Keep in mind, though, that Yuffie got a lot of the Summon Materia to bring back to Wutai. Knights of the Round and Alexander, however, are kept within a safe in Shinra HQ. And thanks for your comment. It was my intention to make this a sweet birthday. Harry doesn't have a very happy childhood, and I was inspired partly by Snape (of all people) giving him his first happy birthday in** ** _The Best Revenge_** **, buying him a number of books (including** ** _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_** **) as a present and taking him out to dinner. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: it's one of the best fanfics out there.** ** _The Best Revenge_** **, by Arsinoe de Blassenville. Go read it.**

 **ShadowEater666** **: After thinking about this, the only one I had in doubt was which Weasley parent to take. I did consider the twins, but decided otherwise. I had Snape brought over to begin a different relationship between him and Harry.**

 **As for when this one is done, well, this chapter, obviously, is the last one for** ** _Birthday_** **. It will be some time before the first episode of** ** _Harry Gainsborough and the Philosopher's Stone_** **is published. Please be patient, okay? I nearly killed myself, working to get** ** _Harry Potter and the Cetra Heritage_** **finished.**

 **And holy crap, you actually posted a review for** ** _Harry Potter and the Cetra Heritage_** **. I'll quickly answer your review here. I didn't know that the Philosopher's Stone had all those alternative names. I'll take your word for it. I thought it was arbitrarily renamed that for the US edition of the first book to sound magical and because a title with 'philosopher' in it may not attract young readers. Here, well, that thing about it being known as such to the Americans is a slight dig about the title change in the US.**

 **As for Luna, I was being obvious, deliberately. As for Jenova cells not making it to Earth during the Cetra Exodus, you can't discount a few Cetra infected by them, and managing to avoid being detected, even by Minerva. Those with Jenova cells have tried to keep themselves hidden: what normal humans did to wizards and witches, wizards and witches would do to those infected by Jenova, as they do have dim memories of their tormentor. I will elaborate more, via Luna spouting exposition, in** ** _Harry Gainsborough and the Philosopher's Stone_** **.**

 **You were wrong about McGonagall. Unfortunately, she was busy with the Muggleborn. Otherwise, Dumbledore would have taken her instead of Snape.**

 **Anyway, that's the end for** ** _Birthday_** **. It'll be some time before I make a start on publishing** ** _Harry Gainsborough and the Philosopher's Stone_** **. As with** ** _Harry Potter and the Cetra Heritage_** **, I won't post an episode until I have finished the next one. This time, I will put a preview at the end of each episode, rather than in a separate chapter of its own. The last chapter of each episode will be for answering reviews.**

 **1\. Rearrange the letters (remove the S first), and what do you get? Luna knows they've been to another world.**

 ** _BIRTHDAY_** **SOUNDTRACK:**

 **NOTE: FTG means 'From The Game', that is, from** ** _Final Fantasy VII_** **, whose music was composed by Nobuo Uematsu.**

 **The Melancholy of Albus Dumbledore** **:** ** _Secure Place (Save Room Theme)_** **, from** ** _Resident Evil 2_** **, composed by Masami Ueda, Shusaku Uchiyama, and Syun Nishigaki. For his more humorous and frivolous moments, I will have another theme in the next book. But this will do for his darker, more serious moments.**

 **The Boy Who Lived (Harry's theme):** ** _Terra_** **, from** ** _Final Fantasy VI_** **, composed by Nobuo Uematsu. I went from** ** _Celes' Theme_** **to this one as Harry's theme, to signify Harry's increasing confidence and happiness.**

 **The Potions Master (Snape's theme)** **:** ** _Amarant's Theme_** **, from** ** _Final Fantasy IX_** **, composed by Nobuo Uematsu. For some weird reason, long before I started writing fanfic, this theme seemed right for Snape. Don't ask me why.**

 **The Flower Girl (Aerith's Theme):** ** _Flowers Blooming in the Church_** **(FTG). As mentioned in my previous fanfic, I consider this Aerith's true theme, with the version called** ** _Aerith's Theme_** **being too melancholy. This version is more true to Aerith in life.**

 **Ginny** **:** ** _Eiko's Theme_** **, from** ** _Final Fantasy IX_** **, composed by Nobuo Uematsu. Ginny's a lot like Eiko, isn't she, only without Eiko's brattishness.**

 **Ron** **:** ** _Lazy Afternoons_** **, from** ** _Kingdom Hearts II.5_** **, composed by Yuko Shimomura. This being sort of Roxas' theme from** ** _Kingdom Hearts II_** **. Ron is to Harry a bit like Roxas is to Sora: in his shadow, but still a good guy in his own right. You could argue that this is actually Riku, but Riku has shown himself to be Sora's equal and more.**

 **Hagrid, the Lover of Beasts** **:** ** _Steiner's Theme_** **, from** ** _Final Fantasy IX_** **, composed by Nobuo Uematsu. I considered** ** _Quina's Theme_** **, but decided that this suited Hagrid better.**

 **The Wolf Inside (Lupin's theme)** **:** ** _Shadow's Theme_** **, from** ** _Final Fantasy VI_** **, composed by Nobuo Uematsu.**

 **The Twins (Fred and George's theme)** **:** ** _Jesters of the Moon_** **, from** ** _Final Fantasy IX_** **, composed by Nobuo Uematsu. I thought this theme appropriate to Fred and George. It seems whimsical and furtive enough that it would be able to dissociate itself from the nasty characters of Zorn and Thorn.**

 **A Mother's Love (Lily's theme)** **:** ** _Theme of Love_** **, from** ** _Final Fantasy IV_** **DS version, composed by Nobuo Uematsu.**


End file.
